The Titan Princess
by NataliaRoma97
Summary: In a place and time where race divides, one high school football team stood up to fight for something greater than themselves. But they were not alone. If blacks and whites could play together, why couldn't a girl?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

_In Virginia, high school football means everything. It can bring a community together or tear it apart. In the summer of 1971, the districts began to strip down segregation in schools. In Alexandria, they created the first mixed high school called T.C. Williams. The community was in uproar over this turn of events and it all began to explode when a white shop owner shot a colored kid._

Hallie Bertier sat on the sidelines, chugging her water in the sweltering summer sun. She'd volunteered to help Coach out with keeping the boys hydrated and nurse them should any pass out or lose their lunch in the heat. Summer practices usually weren't this intense, but with the new school year approaching, at a new high school, Coach wanted to be sure they were ready.

Gerry was calling plays, despite not being a QB, but Hallie wasn't surprised. Her big brother had been captain for the last two years. Probably would've been his freshman year but he tore a ligament half way through the season.

"Oh, come on, Kurt, don't let Ray drag you down like that! You're twice his size!" little Cheryl Yoast screamed from Coach's side. With a shake of her head, Hallie got up from her spot in the grass and joined the elder man and his little girl. Cheryl groaned watching the boys mess up the play. "What are they doin'? If they keep playin' like that we'll lose every game!"

Coach only chuckled lightly. "I didn't think that was so bad."

"Yeah Cheryl, cool off a bit," Hallie suggested, pouring some of her water over the girl's head, drenching her dirty blonde curls. Both she and Coach laughed as Cheryl sputtered.

"Hallie!" She threw the elder girl a dirty look. Hallie only smirked and picked Cheryl up bridal style. She swung her around a couple of times until the younger girl started laughing.

"Ah, there's the Cheryl I know. Come on, those boys are gonna start howlin' for water soon," Hallie suggested and the two of them got to work setting up the water table. Hallie noticed Gerry jog on over to Coach. Her big brother was extremely loyal, but he was worried about losing his spot starting on the team. He was a good enough player it shouldn't be a problem.

Just then Alan Boseley ran up to the gate, yelling to the boys. "It's all goin' down at the store. They gonna burn the place up since that colored kid got shot!" The boys took off, following Alan, Gerry in the lead.

Hallie glanced over at Coach. "Go, I'll take Cheryl home." He nodded gratefully and raced toward his truck. He pulled out of the parking lot like a bat out of hell and chased after the boys. Hallie put her arm around Cheryl's shoulders. "Come on, darlin', let's get you home. How does spaghetti sound? We can make enough for Coach when he gets home." Cheryl nodded, crossing her arms.

Coach didn't make it home until hours later. Hallie figured he took all the other boys home so she and Cheryl finished dinner but left some in the oven for Coach. Afterwards, the two girls did the dishes and then settled in to watch All in the Family. Hallie had convinced Cheryl to let her braid the blonde's hair. And afterwards, Cheryl attempted to do the same with Hallie's light locks but seemed to only be able to knot it.

Hallie laughed at Cheryl's frustrated expression. "It's alright, Cheryl, we can work on it."

"I'm home!" a voice called from the doorway.

"Hi Coach," Cheryl and Hallie both greeted.

"You get all the boys home alright?" Hallie questioned, getting to her feet.

"Yeah. Your brother sure is stubborn, Hallie," Coach answered, shaking his head as he settled into his chair.

"Tell me about it," Hallie agreed. "Cheryl, why don't you go get your daddy his dinner?" The little girl nodded and disappeared into the kitchen. "Somethin' else happen, Coach?"

He scratched his chin. "Nothin' you need concern yourself with, Hallie. I, uh, had a meetin' with the negro coach they're bringing up from Carolina. He and, uh, Coach Tyrell don't see eye-to-eye."

Hallie let out a small giggle. "Well, I ain't surprised. Most folks in this town don't see eye-to-eye. Let's just hope they can work together for the season." Coach nodded with a small smile. "I gotta go, Mama and Gerry will probably get worried soon. Good night, Coach."

"Good night, Hallie."

Rudimentary summer practices continued. Hallie was thankful to have them, otherwise she'd be bored out of her skull. It sure was entertaining to watch the boys play. Once in a while she'd get to toss one of the boys a ball, and for a moment she felt like she was one of them. But that moment vanished as soon as it appeared. The other boys seemed to like having her around. Though, Ray's smirk and smartass-ness gave her a headache, he kept his distance because of Gerry.

One day, Coach invited Hallie over to watch Cheryl. He was busy planning for football camp coming up in a couple of weeks. Cheryl and Hallie spent most of the afternoon outside shooting hoops. Despite their age and height difference, Cheryl was much better than Hallie at it. The older girl preferred football to basketball. Still, the tiny blonde enjoyed it and that was the important part. Having Cheryl around was really nice. Hallie wasn't much of a popular girl at school, even though she was Gerry's sister. She spent most of her time tutoring or at practice with guys, helping keep them encouraged and watered. Because of this, Gerry's friends were basically hers. Except for her friend Molly. She didn't mind much though. Hallie wasn't much of a girlie girl most of the time. Though she did like dresses more than Cheryl, that's for sure.

As they played, a car pulled up and a man in suit got out. Hallie quickly went inside to get Coach. He was busy digging into some paperwork. "Hey Coach, someone's here to see you. He's dressed awful nice for a weekday."

"Thank you, Hallie," he replied as he rose from his desk and followed Hallie back out. "Ned, it's good to see you. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

The man, Ned, shook Coach's hand. "I'm afraid I don't have good news, Bill. The school board has decided that negro, Herman Boone, is gonna be the head coach at T.C."

Cheryl immediately latched onto Coach, tears streaming down her full cheeks. "That's not fair!" she cried, glaring at the stranger. "My daddy's head coach! This is gonna be his Hall of Fame year!" And this might ruin his Hall of Fame chances.

"Now, no one is tryin' to take your daddy's future place in the Hall," the man tried to assure her. But Cheryl was a passionate child.

"You can't just walk in here and take my daddy's job away!"

Coach turned toward her, placing a finger over her mouth, "That's enough, Cheryl." He eyed Hallie and she began to lead Cheryl inside. However, Cheryl pushed away the elder blonde's arms and stomped toward the house. She suddenly paused and turned back, brushing past Hallie to kick the man in the legs. "Cheryl!" Coach scolded but she hardly heard him and ran off into the field.

Hallie turned back to Coach. "I got her." The older girl took off after the smaller, finding the blonde curled up under a tree in the tall grass. "Hey, sweetie. I know you're upset but that don't make it alright to just go around kickin' people."

Cheryl's arms were tucked under her knees, her back resting against the tree trunk. "I know. But it ain't right. Daddy's been coachin' for years. Now some guy wants to come in and steal his hall of fame year."

Hallie put an arm around the girl. "Hey, ain't nobody tryin' to steal your daddy's award. But sometimes things are bigger than just any one person. And sometimes we gotta deal with stuff we don't wanna. But I promise you, your daddy is a smart man, he'll figure out what to do that's best for both of you. Alright?"

"Alright," Cheryl sighed. Coach appeared a minute later, and Hallie decided to head home to give them some privacy.

Cheryl told Hallie that Coach Boone came by the next day. But Coach assured the older girl he came by to try and make things work. Though Coach wouldn't give any details, rumors began to fly that he would be moving districts. The weeks flew by and Gerry and the guys became restless. Would Coach leave? He was a good man and Hallie knew Gerry saw him as sort of a father after he and Hallie had lost theirs. And she loved Cheryl and didn't want to lose either of them.

About two weeks later, Coach held a dinner for all the boys and their families at Hal's Diner. Hallie was anxious what it would be about. Would they really leave? What would it mean for the team? For her? For Gerry's college future?

Gerry, Hallie, and Mrs. Bertier found a table near the front with Alan Boseley and Ray Budds and their fathers, as well as Coach and Cheryl. Alan was a lithe boy with a mop of blond hair and doe brown eyes. Ray on the other hand was short and stocky with a strong jaw and. Both were Gerry's closest friends. It was a quiet meal, except for the occasional belch from Alan's father or smart-mouth comment from Cheryl but she was quickly shushed by Coach.

Later, Coach got up to the front after everyone had eaten. "It has been an honor to live here as long as I have, coachin' your boys. I'll be taking the year off. After which, I'll be moving to Lowton. And taking the head coachin' job at Lowton high." Before he had even finished his announcement, there were grumbles and objections from the crowd.

"I say boycott T.C. Williams!" Alan's dad suddenly shouted. "Our boys ain't playing for no 'Coach Coon'!"

Gerry suddenly stood up, his eyebrows furrowed and his face growing red. "Coach, he stole your job! I've started a petition and I'm sittin' this season out." Hallie shook her head. He couldn't do that. He could lose scholarships to college if he didn't play this season. Though, it wasn't for certain if this black coach would let him play.

Coach approached Hallie's brother, still soft spoken and calm. He laid a hand on Gerry's shoulder. "The only place you're going to sit is back in that seat, Gerry. I appreciate it."

"Boycott T.C. Boycott the school!" Alan's dad yelled again, earning agreement from many in the diner. Hallie hid her face in hands. This was a mess.

Coach maneuvered over to Alan's dad, hands on his hips. "Stop this, Fred. You know that none of these boys can afford to go to some other district just to play ball. If they sit this one out, they put their futures on the line."

Ray stood up next. "Coach, I'm out too. I ain't playin' for no thief."

"Don't do this. Don't make this harder for me than it already is," Coach was beginning to lose ground with everybody.

Hallie sighed as Alan got to his feet. "Coach, if you go, I go." And just like that nearly everyone in the dinner got to their feet, shouting they would only play for Coach, applause ensued. Hallie and her mother shared a look. It seemed Coach couldn't leave without a fight.

A few days later, Gerry and Hallie spent their evening at home watching the Senators play the Indians. Being so close to DC, the siblings were proud Senators fans. Gerry even had a 'Shoeless' Joe Hardy baseball card from the player's only season in the forties. Their father had collected it in his teens.

"Why are you buntin' a knuckleball?" Gerry yelled at the TV set.

"'Cause he's a knucklehead," Hallie pointed out, earning a small smile and nod.

"He should've at least gone for the double," Gerry continued as the next batter stepped up the plate.

Hallie shook her head. "Nah, the outfield was pushin' back. They were ready for a fly. Probably should've grounded it and booked it to first." The batter missed the pitcher's slider.

"Hmm, maybe," Gerry relented, shoving more popcorn into his mouth. His little sister reached over to steal some from the large bowl.

"Man, I can't wait for the season. Think the 'skins got a chance this year?"

Gerry shrugged. "I dunno. The Cowboys are lookin' pretty good accordin' to the papers."

"Yeah, but they probably have a good shot at the Wild Card," Hallie said after some thought. The batter managed to get to first before the ball.

"I think so," Gerry agreed. "If they make playoffs we should go and see them."

Hallie grinned at the possibility. "That would be awesome."

The inning of the game ended so the Senators took the field. They managed to get a double play after the second batter tipped up to third base. The Bertier siblings cheered. The Senators won the game, 7-3.

Gerry left early the next morning. Hallie wondered why she was so surprised by this, he loved football too much to give it up. After getting dressed she hopped in her car to go out for some breakfast. However, as she was driving down the street Hallie noticed a boy running in the direction of the school.

He was a big boy, in more ways than one. He was tall, probably near 6 ft. and he was on the chubby side, but he looked like he had some muscle in his arms and legs. His blond hair was matted to his pale face, probably from sweat judging from his beet red face. She wondered if he was heading to the football meeting as well.

She pulled the car over and leaned across the seat to roll down the window. "Hey sweet cheeks, you heading to T.C.?"

The boy stopped short and turned to her, breathing hard. "Yeah."

"You a football player?" He nodded, his blue eyes were confused. Hallie grinned, "My brother too, you wanna lift?" The boy hesitated, looking at her warily. "I won't bite, promise."

"Alright," the boy relented. Hallie unlocked the door allowing him to slide into the passenger seat. She was right, he was so tall that his head only just missed the roof of the car.

"I'm Hallie Bertier, by the way," she said as she put the car in gear and headed toward the school.

"Louis Lastik," the blond boy answered.

"Nice to meet you, Louis. You just move here?"

Louis nodded. "Yes, ma'am. I'm a navy brat so we move around a lot."

"You a defensive or offensive tackle; you got the build to cover the QB's blindside," Hallie questioned off handedly causing Louis to look up at her in surprise.

"You know football?" Louis requested, his blue eyes wide with surprise.

Hallie snorted. "My brother's been playing for Coach Yoast since he could walk. I kind of developed my own love for the game."

"You ever thought of playing?"

It took everything Hallie had to not stomp on the brakes in surprise. "Um, well I'm a girl and Coach would never let me play."

"But isn't Coach Boone Head Coach now? If he's gonna let blacks play too maybe he'd let you."

Hallie smiled gently at Louis' optimism. "I dunno, Louis. I mean I've dreamed of playing alongside my brother for years but..."

She turned into the parking lot and quickly pulled into a spot. Louis hopped out of the car and leaned down to look at her. "Wouldn't hurt to ask." With that the blond boy rushed into the gym.

Hallie sat there for a moment, her thoughts conflicted. Gerry would be pissed off if she attempted to do this and her mother would never let her do it. She watched the door where Louis had disappeared a moment ago and, without thinking, she rushed out of her car and inside. A group of black boys were gathered facing the new black coach, Herman Boone. Louis grinned at her as she stood there awkwardly.

Coach Boone made his way over to her with a stern expression on his face. "Can I help you, miss?"

"I-I'm not sure, sir," she muttered, nervously watching the boys whose eyes were all fixed on her.

"Why aren't you sure?" Coach Boone demanded standing in front of her with his arms crossed.

Hallie gulped. "My mama and brother don't want me to play, sir."

Boone was silent for a moment, observing her. She suddenly felt underdressed in her pants and blouse. "What position would you play?"

"Center, sir, maybe kicker," she answered immediately, already knowing which positions would be best for someone of her size.

Boone nodded. "If you want to be on this team, I expect you to work just as hard as the rest."

Hallie nodded. "Yes, Coach."

"Then I expect you here August 27th bright and early, 7:29, dressed nicely."

"Yes, sir."

Just then the door opened and in walked Coach Yoast, Gerry, Ray, Alan, and all the old white players. Gerry's eyes immediately found her. His eyebrows furrowed ferociously, jaw clenching, and nostrils flaring. He looked like the Wolfman about to eat her.

"Hallie!"

Boone turned back to her. "That your brother?"

"Yes, sir."

"He don't want you to play."

Hallie looked up and met his dark eyes. "I play for you, Coach, not him." The corners of Boone's mouth twitched up a bit.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

After Boone and Coach went out into the hall for a quick meeting, the gym fell silent. The white boys stood on one side, Hallie, Louis, and the black boys on the other. The coaches returned looking a bit frustrated but resolved. After getting the rest of the names and positions from both groups, some basic policy and expectation were given before all of them were dismissed. As soon as she made it out of the gym, Gerry caught Hallie by her arm.

"Hallie Marie Bertier! What the hell were you thinking? Do you have any idea what you just walked into? And since when do you want to play football?" Gerry yelled at her.

The young blonde glared up at her brother. "Did you seriously just ask that? Who sat with you every Sunday to watch every NFL game? Who drove up with you to see the Redskins play the Bears for your birthday? Who raced home after tutoring every Monday to make the game? Who ran drills with you for hours ever since you were a kid so you would be a better player? Don't you dare question my love for football, Gerry!"

Gerry stood silent for a moment, fuming with his muscled arms crossed over his chest. "I won't let you play, especially not with that new negro coach."

"He's the only coach that's gonna give me a chance," Hallie insisted.

"It's not like you can make a career out of it," Gerry pointed out.

This caused her to roll her eyes. "I'm not playin' because I wanna be a professional, Gerry. I'm playin' because I want to, it's that simple."

Just then Coach appeared and put a restraining hand on Gerry's shoulder. "Now, Gerry there's no need to make things hostile." He then turned to Hallie. "Now, sweetheart, I don't think you quite understand the situation you're puttin' yourself in-"

"With all due respect, Coach," Hallie cut him off before he could start scolding her. "I do, and I know it's bull-headed and probably stupid. But you know how much I love the game and if this is my only chance to play, I'm gonna take it. I'll see y'all later." With that she turned and walked away.

She walked with such determination to her car that she didn't notice the group of blacks and Louis hanging around outside until Louis called to her. "Hallie, come here." She started before turning with a grin and joining them. Louis slung an arm over her shoulder. "See I told you he'd let you try out." The other boys were staring at her causing heat to rush to her cheeks. Her eyes darted down to her white tennis shoes. "Hallie, this is Rev, Blue, and Petey."

The first boy, Rev, had a neatly, nearly shaved head, a wide nose, and a small smile on his full pale lips. He offered her his hand to shake. "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Hallie."

Tentatively, she shook his hand. "Nice to meet you. Your name really Rev?"

"Nah, my real name's Jerry Harris."

The larger boy next to him, definitely built like a lineman, with a bit longer hair than Rev and the third boy Petey, chuckled. "We just call him Rev because he's always prayin' and praisin' the Lord." All of them laughed and the bigger boy shook Hallie's hand next. "Name's Blue, darlin'. You sure you wanna play with us big boys?"

Hallie's grin turned into a smirk as mischief colored her green eyes. "You bet." She turned to shake Petey's hand, but he instead grasped hers and raised it to his lips. Hallie raised her eyebrows at him.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, m'lady." Hallie giggled at that.

"I'm sure, but you won't be callin' me a lady after I knock you on your ass up at camp," Hallie replied slyly.

"Ooh," Louis, Rev, and Blue gasped with large smirks.

Petey stared at her for a moment before slowly grinning. "I think we'll get along just fine, Miss Hallie."

"So why are you so cool with us when your brother and those other crackers ain't so welcoming?" Blue asked.

Hallie shrugged. "Well, I ain't so welcome either, might as well get to know you guys 'cause we're in the same boat." It wasn't a lie, but it also wasn't the whole truth. Her mind briefly flashed back to simpler time, playing in the woods. They'd sworn never to tell. "I should probably get goin', by now Gerry's probably told my mama and Imma be in so much trouble." The four boys waved as she journeyed back to her car.

As Hallie drove home, she noticed one of the black boys who had been at the meeting walking along the sidewalk. He was pretty tall, probably as tall as Gerry, with short dark hair and full lips. But there was something about him that looked familiar, but Hallie just couldn't place it. Shaking it off, she continued on her way and, a few minutes later, pulled up to the Bertier house.

Realizing she hadn't eaten much that day, Hallie grabbed an apple off the counter before finding her mom sitting in the living room with Gerry. When they noticed her, Mrs. Bertier stood up? "Hallie?"

Said blonde took a bite of her apple, bracing herself. "Yes, mama?"

"Don't talk with your mouth full, young lady!" her mama shrieked, and Hallie swallowed hard. "Now, what's this I hear about you tryin' out for the football team? Girls can't play football. Where did this even come from?"

Hallie's blood began to boil. "Really Mama? I've always loved football just as much as Gerry!" She stopped and took a deep breath. "Look, Mama, I've never given you any trouble, I'm always helping you with the cookin' and cleanin', I'm a straight A student and I tutor kids after school. Please mama, just this once, let me do something I wanna do. I don't even know if I will make the team but please just let me try."

Mrs. Bertier stood there for a long moment staring at her daughter. Hallie's stomach knotted, unknotted, and re-knotted some seven or so times before her mama finally spoke. "Oh, all right, but your grades better not slip and-"

Mrs. Bertier didn't get a chance to finish before Hallie hugged her excitedly. "I will, I promise Mama." Mrs. Bertier smiled and patted her daughter's hair. When the two broke apart, Hallie turned to her brother who was now standing. "Gerry?"

He gestured for her to follow him and walked out of the room. Hallie threw her mother a confused and slightly worried look before following Gerry out to the backyard. He grabbed the football of tossed it to her. She caught it with ease and looked up at him confused.

"What're you doin'?"

A grin slowly spread across Gerry's face. "Well, if my baby sister is going to try out for the team, she'd better show up at least half of the them." Hallie squealed as she launched herself at him, knocking him to the ground, causing them both to laugh hysterically. "Not a bad tackle but you need to learn how not to fall down with them." Gerry helped her to her feet.

And so, they set to work. Gerry lined up against her and when he called hike, she tried to keep him from getting passed her. It was difficult given his size advantage over her, but she managed to hold him off for the most part.

"Keep your center, if your grab anywhere but between the shoulder straps they'll flag you for it. And with you being a girl they'll find any excuse to throw you out of the game," Gerry drilled, breathing just as hard as she was. "These guys will be even bigger than me, you gotta be strong enough to take 'em."

On the next one, Hallie steeled herself and barreled into her brother, knocking him to the ground. She stood tall with a smirk as Gerry grinned up at her from the grass. The green-eyed girl held out her hand to him and helped him to his feet.

"Not bad, sis, now let's work on your kicking," Gerry announced as he grabbed the pigskin and went inside the house.

"How do you know the positions I want to play?" Hallie demanded as she followed Gerry.

He threw her a smirk. "You're my little sister, Hal, it's my job to know everythin'. Hey, Mama we're goin' down to the park to work, we'll be back in about an hour."

"All right, just be careful, I'll have supper ready for ya'll when you get back," Mrs. Bertier yelled back from the kitchen as the siblings walked out the door and to the park about a block from their house.

The park was big enough Hallie could kick as far as she could without fear of breaking something. They'd been to this park many times over the years, playing and training. Gerry stopped just after the grass sloped down and crouched down, holding the ball on the grass.

Hallie grinned and took a few steps before running in and planting her foot against the ball causing it to soar through the air with a slight left curve. Gerry stood and watched the ball drop. "Not bad, that's what thirty-five yards?"

His sister shook her head. "Nah, only thirty, too much curve too."

"You're too hard on yourself," Gerry told her.

"Well, if I want to make the team I gotta be the best. So, let's do it again."

Gerry gestured for her to retrieve the ball, to which she gave him a look. "Hey, you kick it, you get it. Besides you could use the exercise." She simply rolled her eyes and took off across the grass toward where the ball had landed.

This continued for an hour and by the end, Hallie was able to kick the ball with a bit less of a curve and right about thirty-three yards. The two siblings then returned home and had dinner with their mother, discussing various football strategies and possible training routines for the next week until they left for football camp.

And so, the next week was spent working every day to help the two of them, though mostly Hallie, get in shape for camp, and possibly the rest of the football season. Gerry invited both Alan and Ray to train with them but only Alan worked with Hallie. Ray just did his own thing, glaring at her most of the time. Gerry seemed to notice but didn't comment on it, neither did Hallie or Alan.

Soon enough the morning they would leave for camp at Gettysburg College arrived. Hallie got up early and dressed in a dark blue dress and a pair of black flats. And, having packed the previous night in shear excitement, grabbed her suitcase and headed down to the car to join her brother and mother before they drove to the school.

A fair amount of people were already there when the Bertier family pulled into the parking lot near where two buses were parked ready to go. Gerry and Mrs. Bertier immediately went over to Ray's family and Hallie snuck away to go say hello to Louis, who happened to be already talking with Blue, Rev, Petey, and another boy. When she got closer, Hallie realized it was the same black boy she'd seen walking home after the football meeting.

"Mornin' boys!" she smiled as she reached them.

They all looked up at her smiling, except for the new boy. "Girl, you been working out?" Petey asked suddenly, looking her up and down.

Hallie blushed a bit. "Gotta keep up with all y'all, don't I?" The boys chuckled, again with the exception of the new boy.

"Oh, where are our manners?" Rev said once he'd stopped laughing. "Hallie, this is Julius Campbell. Julius, this is Hallie Bertier."

Hallie stuck out her hand. "Nice to meet you." The familiar boy, Julius, stared at her hand for a long moment before he slowly, warily shook her hand wordlessly. "So what position do you play?"

"Outside Linebacker," Julius answered shortly. The young girl simply nodded and stood there awkwardly.

Suddenly, Boone's voice called all of them to attention. He was standing near Gerry and Ray. Uh oh, what bull-headed thing had her brother done? "Ladies and gentlemen, I have an announcement to make. We got Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis coming with us to camp this year. Jerry tells the jokes. Dean plays the songs and gets the girl. Let's give them a round of applause." Boone started clapping slowly and loudly but no one joined in. He then stepped closer to Gerry and spoke quietly.

"Damn, the cracker got called out," Petey laughed and Blue and Julius joined in. Hallie paled.

"Uh, Hallie, that's your brother, right?" Rev asked her.

She nodded and swallowed thickly. "He probably said somethin' rude to Boone. Walked right into that one." The boys nodded in agreement but didn't make fun of Gerry any further.

Soon enough everyone got on the bus. With a look from Gerry, Hallie walked over to the bus where all the white boys were sitting. But the looks they were giving her made her uncomfortable. Like she was a burger on the grill at the Fourth of July block party. She settled into one of the front seats where she knew Cheryl and Coach would probably sit so she wouldn't be alone. A few moments later Boone suddenly stormed onto the bus.

"Everybody off, right now!" Though confused, everyone did so and clumped together just outside. The black guys from the other bus were there as well, looking just as bewildered by Boone's antics. Hallie glanced over at Coach, but he didn't look any more enlightened than she felt. Boone began walking up and down the pavement in front of them. "Listen up! I don't care if you're black, green, blue, white, or orange. I want all of my defensive players on this side and all the players going out for offense over here. Let's move!" Everyone lined up on the sides he indicated. Once that was done, Boone began picking people, one of each race, and pairing them together based on their offensive or defensive preferences and telling them to get on either the offense or defense bus. "Get comfortable too. Because the person I have you sitting next to is the same one you'll be rooming with for the duration of this camp."

Silently the pairs filed onto the bus, careful to maintain as much distance as was possible. Hallie looked over to Boone. He hadn't paired her with anyone. Maybe he wasn't going to let her come to camp. What if he'd changed his mind?

"Miss Bertier," he waved her forward. "I understand your position and due to my standings on propriety I have elected to not give you a roommate for camp. However, that does not give you license to keep the same distance from your teammates as they are keeping from one another. Understand?"

Hallie nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Good, get on the offense bus."

Hallie gave Gerry an apologetic look before following Louis onto the offense bus. She sat by herself because she wouldn't have a roommate. And though she was partially grateful for this, she felt as though it would widen the gap between herself and the rest of the team. She just hoped she could prove herself on the field, but that was if they all could get along.

The bus ride to Gettysburg College was painfully silent. Hallie wondered if the other bus was any better. Probably not. She spent most of the drive watching the greenery go by. Soon enough, the buses arrived at the aged walls of Gettysburg College and everyone silently shuffled off, retrieved their belongings, and claimed their rooms in the dorms. Hallie chose the room at the end of the hall, it was one of the smaller ones with only two beds. She sat down and breathed heavily.

A moment or so later, Coach appeared in the doorway with Cheryl at his side. Hallie offered them a small smile. "I hope you're settlin' in all right."

"Yeah, I think this'll be just fine."

Coach stepped inside as Cheryl came and sat beside Hallie. "Well, I wanted to let you know that if any of the boys give you trouble, Cheryl and I have our own room on the next floor."

"Thanks Coach, I appreciate it. But I also want to avoid gettin' as much special treatment as I can." Coach's lips pressed into a thin line. Hallie put her arm around Cheryl. "But I'll be sure to come visit."

"I suppose that's fair. Come on, Cheryl. We better go get unpacked."

Cheryl stood up and turned to the blonde. "We'll shoot some hoops while we're here, right?"

Hallie grinned and tugged on one of the younger girl's curls. "You bet. And I expect you to give all the boys a good talkin' to when they're bein' stupid. Understand?" The smaller girl nodded enthusiastically.

Coach was nice enough to shut the door behind him. Hallie had just finished putting her clothes in the drawers and hanging a couple pictures of her family when she heard a voice shout from down the hall, "Fight!"

"They couldn't last five minutes!" Hallie grumbled as she tore open her door. She glanced down the corridor to see all the boys streaming into one room, elbows and fists flying every which direction. No way was she getting involved in that. Instead she dashed up the stairs to the coaches' rooms.

Within ten minutes, they all were assembled downstairs in varying degrees of roughed up. All four coaches sported pursed lips, clenched jaws, and hands shoved in their pockets. Boone stepped out of the line of coaches and strutted toward them.

"Bunch of tough guys." He observed all their bumps and bruises. "You look like a bunch of fifth grade sissies after a cat fight." Boone stopped in front of Julius. "You got anger? That's good, you're gonna need it, son. You got aggression?" Boone's gaze swept over to Gerry. "That's even better, you're gonna need that too. But any two-year-old child can throw a fit. Football is about controlling that anger, harnessing that aggression into a team effort to achieve perfection." He took a step back. "Most coaches, they cut a player if they think he's not up to snuff, if they think he is hurting the team." Hallie swallowed hard. "This is a public-school program, I will never ever cut a player who comes out to play for me. But when you put that uniform on, that Titan uniform, you better come to work." Hallie's fists clenched and unclenched. "We will be perfect, in every aspect of the game. You drop a pass, you run a mile. You miss a blocking assignment, you run a mile. You fumble the football, I will break my foot off in your John Brown hind parts, and then you will run a mile. Perfection!" There was a long, heavy pause. Hallie wondered if the boys knew how much harder they were going to have to work in these next two weeks. "Let's go to work!"

Hallie waited as the boys filed out of the room to head to the locker rooms, but she wanted to talk to Boone first. "Coach?"

He nodded to the other coaches before stepping over to her. "What can I help you with, Miss Bertier?"

"I was curious, sir, about the, uh, locker room situation and if you had any expectations for someone in my situation," Hallie explained, nervously playing with her fingers.

Boone nodded firmly. "Indeed, I do. I'm sure you understand the delicacy of our situation beyond your own gender, Miss Bertier. I expect you to conduct yourself in a mature manner and if any of the other players are inappropriate in any way you will report it to me immediately."

She nodded. "Yes, sir. Am I allowed to shower there after practices?"

He rubbed his chin for a moment. "I will allow it, if it is either before the rest of the team arrives or once they have all left the locker room."

She nodded again. "That sounds fair, sir."

"Good, now run along. I'll see you on the field," Boone waved her off.

"Yes, Coach," Hallie said before following after the boys.

In the locker room, after selecting one a bit nearer a corner, Hallie stared at the set of pads in front of her, mocking her from the bench. She knew they were necessary but the idea of trying to put them on sounded frustrating. Taking a deep breath, she put her head through the opening, pulling them down over her white T-shirt. At least they had given her the smallest size. Then she went about finding all the buckles and ties and straps, hoping she did them all correctly and the pads wouldn't shift during practice.

"Hey, uh, Hallie?" She looked up to find Rev next to her. "Do you need some help?" Her face flushed. Would he think her incapable of putting on pads? "I had a lotta trouble puttin' on my first ones. I think you almost got it. I can just double check?" She let out a small sigh and nodded.

"Thank you, Rev," she said once he had adjusted one or two of the ties she'd done.

"No problem. Like I said, you did most of it before I got here," Rev waved her off. "You ready for this?"

"God, I hope so," she breathed, and he smiled.

"Don't worry. The Lord's gonna bring somethin' good from all of this." Rev began lacing up his cleats.

Hallie appreciated his enthusiasm. "Yeah, I think He just might." Gerry caught her eye from across the room and nodded. She returned the gesture. If Gerry was behind her, maybe she could do this.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

They started off with a few laps to warm up before beginning tackling drills with the dummy bags. These were down, upright, and on the grass. They moved to roll over drills where they had to roll and jump over one another in a vertical position on the turf. Then they worked on high knees and light feet through a ropes course. The up-downs were easily Hallie's least favorite as they changed positions from run to plank to roll at Boone's whistle blow commands. They ran tunnel drills where the offensive players would run through two lines of defensive players smacking them with bags as they tried to hold onto the football.

Boone's method of encouragement was to tell the team how everything they thought they knew about the game was gonna change while they were rolling on the grass with Doc blowing the whistle every five seconds. "We're gonna change the way we run. We're gonna change the way we eat. We're gonna change the way we block. We're gonna change the way we tackle. We're gonna change the way we win."

Cheryl would sneak Hallie extra water whenever she got the chance or stopped yelling from the sideline for two seconds. The blonde player thanked God Gerry had emphasized doing sit-ups and crunches so much prior to camp. But she was still dying with the rest of them.

The offense was working on the veer in the late afternoon. Hallie was excited to finally be on the line and not doing as much cross-fit and calisthenic training. Boone put her on the line as center, with Rev as quarterback. Her stomach churned. She focused on what Boone had outlined of the play they were running, especially her part in it. At Rev's call of the play, she lunged forward, grabbing Curtis the lineman between his shoulders and pushing him onto the ground.

The entire field went quiet. Hallie glanced around to see everyone looking between her and Curtis with mixed expressions of surprise. She caught Gerry's eye. He was biting his lip, trying not to laugh.

"Boy, are you just gonna lie on the grass all day?" came Boone's silence shattering quip. Curtis looked up at Hallie as she offered her hand to him. After a moment of hesitation, he took it and she helped him to his feet.

Curtis patted her shoulder. "Nice one, Bertier." Hallie's heart soared. But something told her neither he nor anyone else was going to take it easy on her from here on out.

Hallie really appreciated working with Rev as QB. He never seemed disgusted that she was there. And he patiently offered her tips here and there as they ran plays. Still, the defensive linemen were giving her a tough time. The heat, and the dozen times running the play, sapped at her energy and keeping the linemen away from Rev and the receiver, Petey, was proving a challenge.

On one run, Petey got hit hard by Mark Hamman and fumbled the ball. Boone didn't take that too well. "What is wrong with you? Why are you fumbling my football?"

Petey mumbled out, "My blockers- "

"Your blockers!" Boone interrupted. Hallie flinched. Poor Petey. "Your blockers ain't got nothin' to do with you holdin' on to the football. Did your blockers fumble the football or did you fumble the football?" She couldn't hear the boy's answer. "All right. Now, how many feet are in a mile?" He tapped Petey's helmet and asked again. "How many feet are in a mile? 5,280 feet. You pick this ball up and you run every one of them. You're killin' me, Petey! You're killin' me!" Rev and Hallie shared a look as Petey did as Boone ordered.

Thankfully, lunch time came quickly, and Hallie helped herself to more than her mother would approve of. Alan waved her over but one look at Ray's furrowed brows and locked jaw sent her to the other side of the room. She sat down beside Rev, who offered her a small smile and Blue sent her a wink, which she rolled her eyes at. Julius was eyeing her, but his expression didn't alarm her as much as Ray's.

Just then, Louis sat down on the other side of Rev. Julius' gaze shifted to the large blond boy. "Whatchu doin', man?"

"Eatin' lunch," Louis responded barely above a whisper.

"I see you eatin' lunch. But why you sittin' down over here? Why don't you go sit down over there with your people?" Hallie's grip tightened around her fork. Were both she and Louis going to be forced to pick between the boys? Or would they have to have a table just the two of them?

"I don't have people. I'm with everybody, Julius. 'Sides, I don't see you given' Hallie any trouble for sittin' here."

Thankfully Blue jumped in and high-fived Louis. "Yeah, he's just a light-skinned brother. And even he knows better than to make a lady sit somewhere else."

Hallie resisted the urge to chuck some of her pasta at Blue. "I ain't no lady, Blue. Call me one again and you'd better watch yourself."

Blue held his hands up in mock surrender. "All right. All right. But you're still a light-skinned sister."

Julius actually chuckled. "Yeah, and I'm a dark skinny cracker." Most of their table snorted and Hallie relaxed a little.

Rev put his hand on Louis' shoulder. "Come on, Julius, he's just another blessed child in God's loving family." This of course led to Blue humming 'Amazing Grace' and putting his arm around Julius, much to the latter's exasperation. So Blue leaned over to Petey, who gladly joined in. Hallie took a deep breath and began harmonizing with the two boys. Rev began a prayer. "Lord, we come before ya today to ask you to soften' Big Julius Campbell's heart, to open his eyes to the glory of your colorful family. Lord, know it ain't much, but we pray that our brother Julius will see there's a whole lot a lovin' to be spread around here, Amen!"

"Amen!" the others repeated, and giggles abounded. Julius managed a small smile.

"Lastik!" came the dulcet tones of Coach Boone. Louis stood up as Boone left the coach's table and stood beside the boy at attention. Hallie and Rev shared a slightly anxious look. "I want you to tell me something about one of your black team mates."

Louis put his hand to his forehead in salute. "Sir, yes sir!" The boy yelled. "I'm roomin' with Blue, sir. And I noticed he wears those leopard print underwear, bikini style, sir!" Everyone at their table started snorting at the new information.

Boone looked mildly disturbed. "Okay, maybe someone who's not your roommate."

"Sir, I eat lunch with Rev. That's Jerry Harris, sir." Said boy grinned, as did the girl beside him. "They call him Rev 'cause he's always prayin' that we win, sir!"

"And what is the Rev gonna do after high school?" Boone continued. Hallie's eyebrows furrowed. Why was he asking Louis that? Shouldn't he talk to Rev about his options after graduation.

Louis finally stopped yelling his answers. "I dunno. Go to college an' all that, I guess."

"What about you? You gonna go to college?" Boone's tone seemed softer than Hallie had ever heard it. There was something intentional in his gaze and interaction with Louis.

The large lineman shook his head. "Oh, not me, coach. I ain't a Brainiac like Rev, or a smart ass like Hallie." The fair-haired girl grew red in her cheeks.

"Think you got a future in football?"

The boy scoffed with a good-natured smile. "Oh, heck no. I just figure if I gotta be in school, I might as well hit some people while I'm at it."

Boone nodded. "All right, I like that. A self-aware man, I like that." Then the coach took a step closer to Louis and spoke softly. Hallie, Rev, Blue, and Petey exchanged curious and confused looks. After a moment, Boone stepped back. "So, what kind of music does the Rev like?"

Louis grinned widely. "Oh, me and Rev both dig on The Temptations. 'I know you wanna leave me!'" Louis did a little spin as he sang loudly and off key. "'But I refuse to let you go.'" A few of the other boys jumped in. Hallie tapped her foot along. "'I gotta pray, please, for your sympathy. I don't mind, she means that much to me!"

Boone was chuckling now. "Okay, all right. Anybody else?" The dining hall went silent. Hallie looked around, hoping someone else would say something. Stubborn boys. "No volunteers? Campbell?" The boy shook his head, feigning a look of innocence. "Bertier?" Hallie whipped around to look at her brother, who barely glanced up from his plate. "No, huh? Each one of you will spend time every day… with a teammate of a different race. You will learn about him and his family, his likes, his dislikes. You will report back to me until you meet every one of your teammates. Until that time we go to three a day practices." Loud grumbles and groans of disbelief met Boone's announcement. Hallie popped her shoulders, anticipating just how much more sore her body was going to get. "You continue to ignore each other, we'll go to four a day practices. Now's there any part of this that you don't understand?"

Hallie felt fortunate that she'd already made a few friends of both races. She certainly found it easier to meet and get to know the colored boys than the whites. Most of the white boys didn't seem to want to talk to her whereas the colored boys mostly needed time to wrap their heads around her existence. She was perhaps the most intentional in meeting all the boys, except for Louis. His enthusiasm for team unity was unparalleled but sadly it was mostly mocked by the others behind his back, among other things.

Boone kept true to his word and at meal times would call a couple of players up to the front of the dining hall and grill them about whoever they'd met from the other race. Most quietly gave rather generic answers. Despite Boone's efforts, the team still wasn't improving and still mostly ignoring one another.

Hallie soon found herself to be the unofficial nurse of the Titan team. It had started off simple enough. Alan had twisted his ankle a bit after a run and she offered to help him wrap it with some athletic tape she'd brought. She'd initially intended to bring the first aid supplies for herself, just in case. However, she'd forgotten about Alan's big mouth. Next came Blue with a nasty bruise spread over his second and third toes on his right foot. Apparently, someone had stepped on it. She wrapped the toes together as he serenaded her with the Rolling Stones.

Next was Petey who had cut himself shaving and needed a Band-Aid. Curtis came with a jammed thumb. Then Devin, the third-string kicker, grudgingly came to her with a cut on his forearm. And Rev with a busted lip. Even Gerry came occasionally with cuts and bruises. Though it was something inconvenient, like when she was changing or wanting rest after practice, she appreciated that she could help them all.

A day or so later, after evening practice, Hallie was out in the hall talking to Petey and Blue. "So why do they call you Blue?" she asked.

"'Cause he's always singin' the blues," Petey chuckled. Blue elbowed him in the ribs.

"It's cause my mama had a bit of a crush on Elvis back in the day. So, she started callin' me that whenever I'd sing round the house," Blue explained truthfully.

Hallie smiled. "That's real nice. So, you're named after the King, right? Guess that makes you a prince."

Both boys laughed. "If anybody around here is royalty it's gonna be you, Princess," Petey said with an exaggerated bow.

"Ooh, I like that!" Blue exclaimed, high-fiving Petey. "Hmm, Princess! I think it fits."

The teenage girl just glared at them. "I thought I told you I ain't no lady, or do I gotta remind you again?"

"Yeah, you ain't a lady, you a princess, Princess," Petey laughed as he poked her, and she jumped.

Just then Gerry appeared in the hall. His jaw was clenched as he stared at them, arms folded across his chest. Hallie sighed a little and turned back to the boys. "I'll see you boys later."

"Yeah, good night, Princess," Blue said as the two disappeared back into their rooms.

Hallie left the tense hallway and sought the fresh air of the Virginian night. She took several deep breaths. Suddenly, she felt a presence nearby and looked up to find Ray coming out of the shadows. "Oh, uh, hi, Ray."

"Hallie," he acknowledged, stopping a few feet from her. "Nice night, huh?"

She stole a glance at the star-studded sky. "Uh, yeah, real nice." Something in the way he was watching her made her skin crawl. "Well, uh, good night then." She turned to leave but Ray suddenly appeared in her path. She met his impassive gaze. "Was there somthin' you wanted, Ray?"

He shrugged but nothing about his expression was nonchalant. "Just curious if you're actually a girl."

Her eyebrows furrowed. That was the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard. "Excuse me? You've known me practically your whole life."

"Yeah, but I've never seen what's underneath." His arms were suddenly around her, hands grasping at her shirt. She shoved at him, trying to escape his grip. She managed to create some space between them.

"Stop it, Ray!"

He was smirking but it wasn't in mischief. "What, not having fun? Thought you wanted to be one of us?" The tight end made to grab her again. But Hallie pulled her fist back before throwing a punch right into his nose.

Ray stumbled back a few steps, holding his nose between his palms. He glared at the girl holding her throbbing fist to her chest. "Why you little- "

He didn't get a chance to make good on whatever threat he was about to give because out of thin air appeared Julius Campbell. He stepped between the two pale teens before Ray could get any closer to Hallie. Ray shrunk a bit under Julius' intense gaze and intimidating stature. "You wanna back off real quick, man."

"Or what?" Ray spit, whipping away some of the drippage from his nose.

"Well, I wouldn't wanna be in your shoes when the coaches hear 'bout this." That didn't shake Ray. "Not to mention what Bertier'll do once he gets ahold of you." The shorter boy was silent for several moments before throwing one last glare at Hallie and disappearing into the night.

Hallie let out a long breath as Julius turned to her. "Um, thank you, Julius. I really don't know what I would've done if you hadn't showed up."

He gestured to her hand, red and purple already and with a bit of blood. It may have been hers or Rays, she wasn't sure. "I think you were doin' alright before I got here."

"Yeah, it hurts like hell," she admitted. "I'm usually the one fixin' things like this for the guys. Not real sure how to fix myself."

Julius looked around him, as if making sure no one was watching. "Well, uh, it doesn't actually look too bad. I could try and help you."

Hallie's eyes widened in surprise. She smiled a little. "Um, thank you. Yeah, that would be, uh, helpful. I have some first aid stuff in my room so we can just head there."

Julius followed silently behind her as they journeyed up the stairs to her room. Once there she found the antiseptic wipes and a bolt of wrap cloth. The linebacker was hovering just inside the room. She gestured to the unoccupied bed.

"You can sit if you want." He nodded and she gave him the supplies before sitting beside him, careful to give him enough space. "These wipes will help clean the wound and the wrap will protect it while it heals." He nodded again and got to work. After several moments of silence, Hallie broke it. "So, Julius, you live in Alexandria long?"

"My whole life," he answered not looking up from his task.

"Me too." Hallie racked her brain for other questions she could ask. "You got a big family?"

He shook his head. "Nah, just my parents and my older brother. He's off at college."

"Where's he go?"

"Georgetown."

Hallie's eyes widened. "Wow. That's pretty impressive."

Julius began to smile. "Yeah, he's real smart."

"He ever play like you?" She couldn't believe she was actually getting him to open up a bit.

"Nah, he focused more on school." Julius paused to put away the wipes and grab the tape. "You got anybody 'sides Bertier?"

"Just my mama." Her voice grew soft. "My dad died in the war."

Julius stopped and met her eyes. "I'm sorry."

She offered him a small smile. "Me too." More silence. As she watched him wrap her hand, Hallie was again sure that she'd seen him before. She just couldn't remember where. Was it possible that he could be her friend from all those years ago? "I know this is gonna sound crazy, but have we met, you know, before camp?"

Julius finished with her hand. "I never really met any white folks before."

"Oh. It's just, you reminded me of…" she trailed off. How could she ask without breaking her promise? Maybe…"Ever been to Rosewood?"

Julius froze, his hand mid-way through tucking the tape into the wrap. His eyes were wide as he looked at her. "Hal?"

A grin erupted on Hallie's face. "JJ?" Without thinking, she threw her arms around the boy. Suddenly she pulled back, immediately regretting her actions. "I'm sorry, I-" She was cut off by Julius pulling her into a hug. "God, it's been so long. I didn't think I'd ever see you after we moved uptown."

Julius released her. "Yeah, me neither, especially not for football. Guess I shouldn't be surprised though. You hated bein' treated like a princess." They both laughed.

"I still do." She released a breath. "Wow, I just can't believe it." They both fell silent, lost in memories of their childhood, running through the woods, building forts. "JJ?" He looked back to her. "Does this change anythin'?"

He shrugged. "Well, it means I know you ain't like the rest of them white folks round here."

She smiled a bit. "But I think you already knew that. I mean with the team." Julius shuffled on the bed, eyes falling to the floor. Hallie swallowed hard. "Look, the black guys are all kinda followin' your lead. And you know that's also true about Gerry. Maybe if you two got along, we'd play better, like a real team."

Julius shook his head, looking at the opposite wall. "Nah, I don't think that's gonna happen."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "Why not?"

He finally looked at her again. "Look, Hal, you're different 'cause you had a colored friend at six years old, so you see people different. But the rest of 'em…they don't. They don't block for Rev or cover like they's supposed to and that's down to Bertier's example, not mine. If that ain't gonna change, neither am I."

Hallie watched Julius for several moments. Her heart felt heavy. "That's a real sad perspective on the situation."

Julius shrugged again. "Can't be helped, I don't think."

"Hmm…uh, thanks for helpin' fix me up." She stood and gathered the supplies.

"No problem," he replied. "Um, maybe we should, uh, keep Rosewood between us. You know, like when we was kids?"

She turned back having finished putting all her first aid stuff away. "I don't really see why that matters."

"Please."

Hallie sighed. "Alright. But I'm still gonna call you JJ 'cause I can."

Julius managed to smile a bit sheepishly. "Alright. I can live with that."

"I'm gonna get some sleep. See you in the morning at practice?" Julius nodded and turned to leave. "Please, just think about it." He looked back at her once more before disappearing down the hall.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Though Julius had asked her to hide their history, he couldn't help but treat her differently. He was kind and courteous like many of the other colored boys were to her. And the change certainly didn't get passed Gerry's notice.

"Why is Campbell suddenly bein' so nice to you?" he demanded the next afternoon just after practice.

Hallie shrugged. "What like I can't make friends?"

"I don't think he wants to be friends with any of us, Hal," Gerry replied with a shake of his head.

She had to refrain from rolling her eyes. "Maybe you outta try and get to know him and that could change." The center turned to leave but the captain put a hand on her arm.

"Look, I ain't so comfortable with you hangin' around those guys so much."

Her eyebrow quirked as she crossed her arms. "Those guys?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, like Petey and Blue…I guess Rev ain't so bad but- "

She cut him off. "But you don't mind if I hang with Alan or Louis, right? I'd much rather talk to 'those guys' than even look at Ray!"

Gerry's brows furrowed. "Why?" Hallie's heart thudded and her lungs suddenly felt tight. She wanted to tell him, wanted her big brother to comfort her, but she knew it would only create more problems. If Ray tried something like that again then perhaps. But not now.

"We just don't get along, alright?"

"But what if they are just bein' nice to, you know, put the moves on you?" His cheeks were starting to turn a bit pink.

Now she did roll her eyes. "Put the moves on me? If I can throw you on your backside what makes you think I would even let them try?"

"Just…just be careful, alright?"

She sighed and put a hand on his arm. "Fine. I will."

Hallie let out a loud sigh as she collapsed on the bed opposite Rev. After nearly forty-five minutes in the shower, she finally felt clean of all the dirt and sweat she'd accumulated during their third practice of the day. Coach Boone was particularly fond of up-downs and running the same play until it was perfect. Still, Hallie felt slightly thankful when Doc pulled her off the field to run some kick drills with the first-string kicker, a black boy named Thomas. He was nice enough, considering their difference of skin color but similar treatment by the whites on the team. And they helped each other out quite a bit in the drills. Their third string kicker, a white boy named Devin, wasn't so pleased that he was superseded by a black and a girl. Hallie just hoped they never had to call him in for a kick attempt.

Rev chuckled at her over the pages of his pocket Bible. She mock glared at him in return. Then Louis busted in and began pacing.

"Nobody from my family ever went to no college," the blond protested.

"I'll tutor you, Louis, I told ya- "

Rev was caught off by Louis' proclamation, "I'm white trash! I-I ain't gonna get no C+ grades. I'm just no good, down home, never goin' to no college white trash, man! Alright!"

"All right, that's enough!" Hallie rolled out of the bed and stood toe-to-toe with the boy nearly three times her size. "I am sick and tired of hearin' you say you can't. That you ain't good enough or it ain't possible. Well, guess what! Blacks and whites playin' football together ain't possible, yet we're here tryin', ain't we? Girls can't play football, and yet I done tackled almost every boy on defense exceptin' my brother and Julius! Hell, Coach Yoast probably can't get in the Hall of Fame because he ain't head coach no more, but he's still here! A lot of crazy things happen but they don't just happen by chance. They get done because you try and you work and do your best, no matter what. I know this for sure, you are gonna be a lot prouder of yourself for at least tryin' and lettin' us help you than you will be by just givin' up now regardless of the outcome!"

Louis stared at Hallie for several moments. The girl suddenly hoped she hadn't hurt his feelings or pushed too far. However, her doubts were quickly dashed when the boy wrapped her up in a bear hug, squeezing her sore body. "Thank you, Hallie."

She didn't dare complain about her lack of oxygen or groaning muscles. She simply returned the hug tightly. "We're your friends, Louis. Let us help you believe in yourself like we believe in you."

Louis put her down and rubbed at his eyes. "Hallie?" the girl turned back to Rev at the sound of her name. "You ever think about going into counseling?" The girl simply shrugged and flopped back down onto the bed.

A little while later she left the boys to return to her room for some much-needed shut eye. She found, as per usual, a whole line of boys waiting to call their girls. Gerry was currently at the front, holding the phone to his ear. No doubt he was talking to Emma and partially flustered by the other guys eavesdropping. Hallie giggled as she turned the opposite direction and went into her room. She glanced at the empty bed across from hers and sighed before crawling into bed.

Getting up the following morning was hellish. And finding enough food on the table was near impossible. The boys and Hallie were starving due to all the extra energy they were spending on the field. Morning practice consisted of the offense v the defense, running two plays. Only problem was Halie and the rest of the offense were having too easy of a time gaining yardage, even with Ray missing his own blocking assignments now and again. The linemen just couldn't seem to block or hold their men.

After several failed attempts, Gerry pulled the boys into a huddle. Hallie turned to Rev. "If we keep playin' this way, we're only gonna see high scoring games, or we will just get run over."

"And run out of town," Petey muttered. Rev just hung his head as Louis breathed hard, his face showing the evidence of the summer Virginian heat.

Just then, Julius' dulcet tone rose up from the huddle. "Don't you single me out like that. Whatchu think I'm stupid or somethin'?"

Oh, bad move, JJ, Hallie thought to herself. "I'm the team captain," Gerry replied stepping forward until his facemask smacked into Julius'. "And I don't need-" Hallie and the others weren't sure what the rest of his threat would have been given their almost fight was broken up almost immediately by Blue's arms and Boone's whistle.

"Y'all wanna be champions? You gotta pay the price!" Doc yelled, shaking them back into formation. "Lookin' like a bunch of bums out here."

Later, Boone had them run rush exercises where they all ran in place in a circle, taking turns ramming into each other. At first, Hallie was sure the boys were holding back on her. Then when her turn came up again, she threw the entirety of her body weight at Alan, knocking him flat on the turf. He looked up at her, red in the face, but managed a small grin when she offered his hand.

And of course, as they went around and round, smacking helmets and pads, introducing new bruises to their fresh morning ones and aged ones from the past couple of days, Boone was monologuing. "Cowards won't block. Cowards won't tackle. Cowards won't go after fumbles."

Blue suddenly decided to interrupt Boone. "Man, we need a water break. We been out here all day!" Boone blew his whistle and everyone else froze, cleats digging into the freshly cut grass.

"What did you just say to me?"

The exhausted boy dared not meet the coach's scalding gaze, hidden behind his sunglasses. "We need a water break."

"You need a water break? Water is for cowards. Water makes you weak. Water is for washing blood of that uniform and you don't get blood on my uniform. Boy you must be outside your mind!" Hallie and Julius shared an uncertain look just as Boone announced, "We are gonna do up-downs until Blue is no longer tired and thirsty!" A collective groan rose up from the team. Hallie fell into line with the others and began to wander just how truly crazy Boone was.

As they ran the drill, Coach came over to talk to Boone and thankfully this resulted in a whistle blow to signal a water break. The boys all ran over to Cheryl's little water stand. Hallie walked slower, knowing the little blonde would save her a cup. However, as she approached the crowd of boys, another fight broke out.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Hallie cried as she watched Julius and Gerry tumble in the grass, knock over the table of water, and get cups thrown at them by a nine-year-old. Thankfully, Coach appeared to break it up.

"That's enough boys," Coach said as the other boys helped restrain the ringleaders. "Now, back to your corners and let's all get some much-needed hydration."

Hallie, however, had had enough. Grabbing Gerry by the ear she dragged him away from all the others. "What the hell, Hal?" Gerry roared when she let go.

"This is God-damn ridiculous, Gerry. And you know it! Now you're all fightin' over water. Water! Seriously? You gotta drag Julius to the ground and try and pummel him over water! Don't you get it? All the boys see you two as their leaders, even without really tryin', that's just who both of you are! So, talk to him, dammit! And work it out! Otherwise, we will all get creamed all season and just go on wastin' our time hatin' each other!" Before Gerry could reply, she stomped away and got a cup of water from Cheryl.

"They're all a bunch of jerks," said the younger girl.

Hallie nodded before gulping down the heavenly beverage. "Yep, they're boys and stubborn ones too." She tugged one of Cheryl's curls. "Don't worry, we ain't got much of camp left so you won't have to put up with all this too long."

The blonde shrugged. "I wouldn't mind so much if they actually played decent."

Hallie giggled. "Me to, Cheryl. Me too."

After a de-stressing shower, Hallie made her way to Rev's room, expecting to find Louis there as well. Only Rev was there, and he was sitting with his back to the wall with his Bible in his lap. She leaned against the door jab. "Hey, where's Louis?"

He looked up from the pages. "In the shower."

"Mind if I join you? What are you readin'?" He nodded and she sat beside him.

"Psalms. I like David's psalms when he went through hard times, you know? Makes me feel better about all this," Rev explained.

Hallie smiled gently. "That's a nice way to look at it. Which one you on?"

"Twenty-two." Rev then began to read the psalm out loud and Hallie was whisked away from their present troubles. She smiled and nodded to Louis when he appeared around psalm thirty-two with fresh clothes and damp hair. He sat down on the bed opposite them and listened to Rev's reading. Hallie laid her head on Rev's shoulder, her sore body relaxing. She had no doubt if he decided to pursue preaching, Rev would be real good at it.

At the end of psalm sixty-nine, Rev gently shook Hallie. Her eyes flew open. "It's gettin' to be about dinner time, Hal. We should head down."

She yawned and stretched. "Yeah, you're probably right." She slid off Rev's bed and followed the two of them down to dinner.

After dinner, the female Titan joined their tiniest fan in her and Coach's room for a rousing game of Go Fish. "Got any threes?" Hallie asked.

"Go fish," came Cheryl's reply accompanied with a smirk.

"Got any sixes?" Hallie handed over the resembling car in her hand. "Got any kings?"

"Go fish." The curly-haired girl drew a card.

"Hallie?"

The elder girl looked up from her cards. "Hmm?"

"Why did you decide to play this season?"

Hallie paused and put her cards face down on the carpet. "Well, I had never really thought I could. But if Coach Boone was gonna let the black boys play, maybe he'd let me at least try. I guess I didn't have anythin' to lose just by askin'."

Cheryl's eyebrows furrowed. "I get that but why not ask Coach before now?"

The green-eyed girl looked at the younger girl sadly. "Cheryl, you know your daddy wouldn't've let me play even if I had asked. You know how much I respect him, but he would've told me the field was too dangerous or somethin' like that. And I think that would've crushed me."

The little blonde was quiet for a long moment before smiling. "I bet he doesn't think that now."

Hallie giggled a little. "No, I reckon he doesn't. Still, that victory would taste better if the boys could play nicely together."

"Bunch of idiots," Cheryl growled. Not long later, Hallie tucked Cheryl in bed and placed a kiss on her forehead before returning to her own room for some much-needed sleep.

BBBBRRRRRIIIIINNNNGGGG! Hallie groaned as her eyes opened from a beautiful dream on the Potomac. She shrugged on some sweats and tennis shoes and shuffled out into the hall with other boys. They all wandered down the hall, down the stairs, and out the front door to find Boone waiting for them, wearing running shorts. Oh no.

"Let's go, let's go, let's go! Wake up, gentlemen and lady. It's late. It's 3 am in the morning!" Hallie let out a loud yawn. Petey followed suit. "All right, listen up! You will follow Doc, myself, and the other coaches. We're gonna take a little run in the woods! If you get lost along the way, don't bother coming back to camp. Just hitchhike your hind parts on home. Any questions?" Hallie noticed Yoast say something quietly to Boone. Whatever it was, it did little to change Boone's mind. "Let's go!"

Boone set a brutal pace but never said how far they were going. Toward the end of the first mile, Hallie stopped to take a short breather. She had hardly been ten seconds when she heard a snide, "Tired, Princess?" She whipped around to see Ray some fifty feet in front of her. She gritted her teeth before following him, contemplating tripping him up and blaming a tree root. Rev was right beside her in a moment with a hand on her shoulder as they both kept pace with the others. She let out a sigh at the concerned look on his face. Maybe tripping Ray could wait.

They crossed a stream. They stomped through mud. And zig-zagged around the huge oaks. Julius and Gerry were hard at work keeping the others going. Everything ached when they finally stopped at the edge of a clearing.

Boone stood just outside the tree line, hands on hips and breathing hard. "Anybody know what this place is? This is Gettysburg. This is where they fought the Battle of Gettysburg. 50,000 men died right here, on this field, fightin' the same fight, that we're still fightin' amongst ourselves today. This green field right here, painted red… bubblin' with the blood of young boys…smoke…and hot led going right through their bodies. Listen to their souls, men…I killed my brother with malice in my heart. Hatred destroyed my family." Boone turned back to the team. "If you listen, take a lesson form the dead…If we don't come together, right now on this hallowed ground, we too will be destroyed…just like they were. I don't care if you like each other, but you will respect each other. And maybe…I dunno, maybe learn to play this game like men."

Hallie wasn't sure about anybody else, but something in Boone's speech touched her. It made her realize there was more to this than simply two schools integrating. It was more than just this generation's black and white boys not liking each other. This went back for decades, even centuries. Two races hating each other, thinking less of each other, for something as simple as their skin color, something they were each born with.

Not for the first time, Hallie cursed her pale skin, considered chopping off her fair hair, and contemplated wearing sunglasses for the rest of her life to shield her light eyes. The outward appearance shouldn't matter so much, she thought. Who a person is ain't their color.

Once they got back to the college, the sun was fully up, and breakfast was served. And yet, there was an eerie silence that Hallie doubted was completely due to the early wake-up call. She even noticed a few of the boys not glaring at one another, but rather passing jugs of milk and juice and bowls of margarine and the salt 'n' pepper.

Alan came over to sit next to Hallie, across from Rev. He smiled. "Hey."

Hallie returned the smile, albeit a bit surprised. "Hi, welcome to the other side."

"I kinda like it." Alan shrugged. Rev smiled down at his breakfast. The three ate in silence for a few minutes. "Look, I wanted to apologize."

The blonde girl looked up from her eggs with furrowed brows. "For what?"

"I heard about Ray." Hallie froze. Had Ray said something? Why would he? Would any of them think less of her? "Saw him come back with a bloody nose and he kinda told me. Though I don't think you were comin' on to him like he says."

Rev threw Hallie a look, but she ignored it. Her jaw clenched at the impression Ray had given Alan about what had happened. "Definitely not."

"Anyways, I wanted to say I'm sorry for not protectin' you," Alan finished.

Hallie smiled softly and shook her head. "It ain't your job to." She looked over to Rev. "Or yours either. But I appreciate it all the same."

Alan's shoulders slumped. "Thanks, Hal. So, I hear they've started callin' you 'Princess'?"

Hallie giggled. "Yeah, Petey and Blue kinda started that. I hated it at first but it's growin' on me."

The first two practices of the day weren't as awful as they had been. There was a new spirit, a hesitant one, but a newness all the same. As night drew in, Hallie found herself on the scrimmage line as both the offense and the defense failed to run the perfect play Boone had tasked them with. "All right," he said, placing the football down in front of her. "We'll be out here all night till we get this thing right. Let's go! On the ball, Rev!"

With a sigh she planted herself on either side of the ball, resting one hand on it, tensing for Rev's call. After the snap, she held off the lineman in front of her, Carter. But sighed upon realizing that Ray had missed his blocking assignment again and allowed Petey to get taken down.

"What was that, Ray?" her brother's sudden yell caused Hallie's eyes to widen. "Whatever it is, it ain't blockin'!" He marched over to Ray who immediately pushed the captain back. Alan took a step to break them up, but Hallie grabbed his arm. He looked at her. She shook her head. "If you don't just block for Rev one time, just one time, I swear to God I'm gonna hit you so hard when you come to…ooh, boy you're gonna need a new haircut! Understand me!" Hallie snorted as Ray headbutted Gerry. The taller boy simply laughed. "Let's play, fellas!" Her brother threw her a smile as he returned to the other linemen.

Boone blew the whistle and they lined up again. To say the play was pretty would be an understatement. It was nearly beautiful. The veer went off without a hitch but Julius' sudden tackle of Petey nearly made Hallie shed a tear. The defensive player helped up the slightly pissed running back. The latter shaking him off and the former chuckling as he patted Petey good naturedly.

Hallie's eyebrows shot up as Gerry approached Julius, smiling through his mask. "Alright, you really stopped him, Campbell!"

"Yeah, I love me a little contact, Petey!" Julius yelled as Rev slapped Petey's shoulder.

Gerry suddenly, and excitedly, pushed Julius. "Left side!"

The whole field went silent.

But then, Julius pushed back, "Strong side!"

"Left side!"

"Strong side!"

"Left side!"

"Strong side!" Everyone watched in amazement as the two interacted with energy and enthusiasm, completely disregarding all previous tension and prejudice. Hallie, Rev, and Louis shared a wide grin. This was definitely the start of something beautiful.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

No one could have anticipated the complete 180 the fledgling Titan team made within a couple of days. Team chants and hype circles became the norm. Mixing and matching during mealtimes were instituted as if they'd been the status quo for years. And above all, practices were like floating on cloud nine, even with all the ample sweat.

But Hallie's favorite aspect of the change was the blooming friendship between Gerry and Julius. They were suddenly glued together at the hip, laughing and joking as if they'd been friends their whole lives. Hallie found herself spending many evenings in their room hanging out. And she couldn't be happier to see her two brothers as thick as thieves. And she knew, as did the coaches and perhaps the whole team, that with these two leading, they're season would be anything but boring.

About two days after Julius and Gerry's breakthrough, a burgundy car drove down to the field from the college. Out popped a boy with long blond hair, down to his shoulders, wearing a groovy button up. A man got out of the driver's side in a military uniform.

"Hey fellas," Gerry called. Hallie looked over from her kicking drills with Thomas. "Look at that fruitcake!" A few wolf-whistles accompanied Gerry's observation. Hallie just rolled her eyes.

"Y'all just shut your mouths and get back on that field!" Coach yelled as he walked over to the newcomers.

"Looks like we might have some new blood," Thomas said before dropping the pigskin and kicking it some thirty yards.

Hallie looked back over her shoulder. The boy had wandered away from the adults and picked up a ball. All of a sudden, he threw it in a perfect spiral and nailed Gerry between the shoulder blades more than half a field away. Hallie and Thomas' jaws hit the grass.

The girl started giggling. "Yup, definitely some new blood."

"Hallie!" Coach Yoast called over the boys' rowdiness. Said girl looked up and flashed her teammates a grin before jogging over to the two coaches, the man in the uniform, and the boy with the long blond hair. "Hallie, this is Colonel Bass and his son, Ronnie. Colonel, this is Hallie Bertier, our center and second-string kicker." Hallie's heart squeezed a little at the proud smile on Coach's face as he introduced her.

"Pleasure to meet you, young lady," Colonel Bass shook her hand. His smile was kind even though his posture and uniform were a bit intimidating.

"You too, Colonel," Hallie replied with a smile.

Ronnie then shook her hand too with a bright smile. "Hi."

"Hi." She felt heat rush to his cheeks when he smiled at her. He really was good looking up close; especially his very blue eyes that reminded her of the waters around Cape Cod when her family had vacationed there a few years back. He was tall too, not as tall as her brothers but definitely taller than a few boys on the team.

Coach put his hand on her shoulder. "Miss Bertier, do you recall givin' my daughter haircuts when her hair had grown a bit too long?"

Hallie looked up at him, eyebrows knit together. "Yes, Coach?"

"Well, we're going to allow Mister Bass, here, to join the team, but he needs a bit of a trim. Would you be willin' to help out?"

Hallie's eyebrows shot up almost to her hairline in surprise, but she nodded. She gestured to the boy. "Follow me. After I change, I'll get started on your hair." He shadowed her footsteps across the field, despite the calls and jibs from the boys, to the locker room. She left him outside the door so she could change.

It was weird for it to be so quiet since they were all still out at practice. She stripped out of her pads and slipped into a pair of khaki's and threw on one of Gerry's old baseball T's. She rushed back out and found Ronnie leaning against one of the walls. He straightened when he saw Hallie.

She grinned. "Come on, I think I've got some scissors in my room." Ronnie gave her a strange look causing her to laugh. "I can't tell you how many of these boys I've had to stitch up since we've been here. The scissors cut the thread I use for stitches. I've got some other first aid supplies as well, in case you ever need somethin'."

Ronnie nodded and followed her into her room. The blond noticed the empty bed on the wall opposite the one she'd obviously slept in. "You don't have a roommate?"

Hallie smiled shyly. "Nope, Boone didn't assign me one, probably because I'm a girl and Gerry would have a cow."

His blue eyes narrowed. "Who's Gerry?"

She smirked. "That guy you nailed in the back of the head for calling you a fruitcake?" Ronnie nodded slowly. "That's my brother." Ronnie's cheeks reddened a bit as he crossed his arms causing Hallie to giggle. "Don't worry about it, he can be a real ass when he wants to be, so I don't blame ya for wantin' to get back at 'im. I nearly punched him when he told me I couldn't play."

"But you didn't?" Ronnie questioned, sitting down on the vacant bed.

The green-eyed girl shook her head. "Nah, he's my brother and twice my size. Maybe I'd get a few swipes in but it ain't worth it to just bruise him up a bit."

A smirk stretched across Ronnie's lips. "Well, there are other ways to get him back."

She eyed him suspiciously. "Like what?"

"Well, he did call me fruitcake and, like you said, bruising him ain't worth it so why don't we mess with him a bit?" Ronnie explained.

Hallie considered it for a minute. "What you got in mind?"

He gave her a wry look. "You'll see."

Hallie just chuckled and grabbed her scissors. "So, you ready for this?"

Ronnie eyed the scissors warily, shoulders tensing a bit. "Not sure if I should trust a stranger with my hair."

"Then how about we talk and get to know each other as I cut your hair?" Hallie offered. Ronnie nodded and she reached out to begin cutting his pale-yellow locks. "So, you got any siblings?"

"Yeah," Ronnie replied, trying not to move his head. "Two, a little brother and sister. They're pretty awesome."

Hallie smiled gently as she snipped some strands. "That sounds nice, I only have Gerry but he's a good brother, even if a bit overprotective. And I suppose there's JJ now too. Do they like Virginia so far? Did y'all move far?"

"I think so. We haven't been here too long, but I think it'll be good for them once they adjust to leaving California."

"Wow, California. That is pretty far. And I bet it's a bit of culture shock too." He turned to look at her as she circled to his other side.

"It's not so bad so far." Hallie bit her lip, praying she wouldn't blush. "So why you playing football?"

Snip. "I've always loved the game and with the new coach, I thought maybe I'd actually get a chance to play." Snip. Snip.

"Yoast said you play Center." Snip. Snip.

"Yep," Hallie replied as she combed her fingers through his blond hair.

"So, if I make QB, guess we'll be seeing a lot of each other," Ronnie stated causing Hallie to pause for a second. Snip. Seeing a lot of him sounded nice.

She smiled. "I guess so. That's if you make it though."

"A little faith, please," the blond chuckled.

Hallie cleared her throat and continued in her work. "So, California? You surf?"

"Yeah."

Hallie smiled as she cut the last few long strands. "Maybe you can teach me sometime."

Ronnie looked up at her with a grin. "Anytime."

The blonde stepped back and admired her handiwork. She had to admit Ronnie looked really good; his hair was still longer than most of the other guys', but it framed his face nicely. "Not bad. There's a mirror in the locker room if you wanna check it out and clear out a locker for yourself."

She led him back down to the locker room, where most of the boys had come in to shower and change for lunch. Ronnie quickly gravitated over to the mirror to check out her handiwork. Hallie felt a twinge of guilt for depriving him of the hair he'd probably worked a long time to grow. But she knew it would be better for his safety on the field not to have such pull-able locks. She usually kept her own hair in a braid, tucked into her jersey.

Rev, with his pads halfway off came over to her. "So, is that why Boone and Yoast pulled you off the field?" He nodded to the boy by the mirror.

Hallie nodded. "Surprised by my amazin' skills?"

He shook his head. "Nah, I think all of us know by now you're full of surprises." They both laughed.

Just then, Petey approached the new player from behind calling, "Sunshine? Sunshine! Sunshiiiiinnnneeee!" Hallie shook her head, smiling slightly. She wasn't sure if the new nickname was due to his golden locks or that he came from the golden state.

Blue started laughing. "Sunshine! Heh!" The other boys chuckled.

"Hey man," continued Petey, "all that rubbin' ain't gonna make them locks grow back no faster, ya know!" Hallie shot the darker boy a glare, which he either didn't see or just ignored. Instead, he started singing. "Sunshine…. Sunshine!"

Ronnie turned around with a sort of exasperated look. "Sunshine, huh?" He grinned as Petey nodded. "That's cool. I can dig it." Hallie's eyebrows shot up as Ronnie, now christened Sunshine, held up his hand for a shake. Petey hesitated and looked back to the others. "Come on, now, bro. Don't leave me hanging." With a confused smile, Petey returned the gesture.

"He got a little soul power!" Blue exclaimed.

Petey's voice shot up to a falsetto as he slapped the other guys on their shoulders. "He called me bro!"

"Hey, I liked him better with the long hair, bruh," Blue said, throwing Hallie a wink. "Remind me of Bertier's mama."

Gerry, apparently fresh from a shower and shirtless, turned back at the sudden mention of his mother. The others "oohed" at the joke. "What?" questioned the captain, equal parts confused and upset.

Julius grabbed Gerry's shoulder as Bobby questioned Blue on how he even knew what Gerry's mother looked like. Blue grinned wider. "Well, don't you know, me and Bertier's mama, went out on the town last night!" Gerry's face was growing red. Hallie balled her fists.

Thankfully, Julius jumped in before a half-dressed fight could break out. "Now, listen, Blue, why you talkin' about Bertier's mama like that? See now you're makin' me angry, man, look like I ain't gonna be able to take your mama to the prom no more." More oohs chorused through the locker room. Even Gerry, who was starting to catch on, was smirking.

Blue turned to Petey. "Whatchu laughin' at, boy. You need to tell your mama to shave those hairy legs of hers. Then, Campbell, maybe your mama can borrow the razor, and shave those nasty back hairs." That cracked Julius. He charged Blue but was pulled back by Gerry.

"Hey Blue," Hallie called, moving further into the locker room. "Why you gotta be like that, huh? You know, your mama is so sweet she done showed me pictures of when you was little. And let me tell all ya'll…Baby Blue's Butt is nasty!" All the boys hollered with laughter as Blue looked at her, dumbstruck.

"Nice one, Princess!" Julius said in between laughs.

"Damn, Baby Bertier," he cried. Hallie wrinkled her nose at the nickname.

Just then, Louis walked by, hunched over with a hand on his back. "Hey Louis Lastik, man," Petey acknowledged him. "What happened to you?"

"Man, I just finished givin' your mama a piggy-back ride and she weighs twice as much as I do," the larger boy grinned broadly as everyone reacted ecstatically to his jab.

"That's a mama joke!" Gerry exclaimed.

Blue turned up the radio on top of the lockers, blasting "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. Sunshine reappeared at Hallie's side as the boys sang along and went back to changing.

"I see what you mean," he said to her. "Your brother is wound way too tight." She nodded as he grinned, mischief in his blue eyes. "Watch this." With furrowed brows she watched him approach Gerry's locker. The music was a bit too loud for Hallie to hear what they were saying but within a few seconds, Sunshine bent Gerry over to plant one on him. Gasps and exclamations accompanied the action from the boys nearest. Hallie's jaw dropped. She certainly hadn't been expecting that.

Gerry managed to throw Sunshine off him before going to punch the Californian, but the blond boy dodged each swing with ease. He even somehow managed to trip the Captain into a nearby table. "JJ!" Hallie yelled and within moments the boy appeared, and with some help from other boys, managed to restrain Gerry.

"You have no idea who you're messin' with, man!" Gerry yelled, pointing at Sunshine. "Alright!" The others released him.

"What is goin' on here?" Julius demanded.

Hallie watched Gerry face his new friend as Sunshine slowly backed away toward the door, offering her a smirk. "He kissed me, man!" Julius tried to not laugh but it was no use. Both Hallie and Sunshine bolted for the door.

Once outside, Hallie led them down the hall and up to the dorm hallway, stopping in the hallway near her door. "What the hell was that?!" Hallie asked, somewhere between confusion and mirth.

Sunshine grinned. "Partially, it was revenge for the fruitcake comment, aside from the football to the head. And, for him not really onboard for girls playing on the team."

"Well, thank you for tryin' to be my knight in shinin' armor and teachin' Gerry a lesson. So, if it was just a lesson, you're not…?" she trailed off, not sure if she was getting too personal too quickly.

He crossed his arms, his grin faltering. "Would it be a problem if I was?"

Hallie quickly shook her head. "No, not at all. Just curious, I guess. I mean, around here it's kinda unheard of but I'm sure in California it's a bit different."

His arms dropped back down to his sides. "Yeah, it's definitely different. But since you're curious, no, I like girls." Heat began to crawl up Hallie's neck as she tried to nod as if it didn't make a difference, but it did.

"Hallie," the dulcet tones of Coach Boone reached them causing them turn around as the coach reached them. He appraised Sunshine's new haircut appreciatively. "Not bad work, Miss Bertier. Now, I hate to put you in this situation but seein' as there aren't any free rooms, I'm gonna have to ask you to room with Mister Bass for the remainder of camp."

The blonde looked up at Sunshine, he was watching her curiously, in anticipation as redness crawled up his neck. She swallowed hard. Could she share a room with this very attractive guy? She thought back on the last hour or so she'd known him, whilst cutting his hair and watching him mess with Gerry. He was a nice guy, funny and talented. Maybe she could control herself for another couple days. "Yeah, of course."

Boone nodded. "Good, but I expect you to behave yourselves." Both teens blushed redder. "Lunch is in five. Better hurry if you expect to eat."

Hallie turned back to Sunshine as Boone disappeared down the stairs. "You're all right with roomin' with me, right? It ain't gonna be as much male bonding as with any of the others."

He smiled gently at her, cheeks just noticeably pink. "Yeah, of course. You think Gerry'll mind?"

"Probably not since he thinks you have a crush on him."

They both laughed. "Good point." With that, they journeyed down to lunch.

At practice later that afternoon, Boone had Sunshine running the veer as a second string QB. However, despite his impressive display the previous morning, he couldn't throw the ball three yards behind him. Rev and Hallie worked with him on it for nearly a half hour before Doc called Hallie away to practice some kick drills. He had improved, but still struggled with the short pass plays. The long throws and Hail Mary's weren't a problem though. By the time they broke for dinner, Sunshine seemed in a better mood than when she had left him and Rev on the field.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

At dinner, Hallie slid into her normal spot between Louis and Rev. Sunshine joined them, sitting across from Rev. And Blue sat across from her. Petey suddenly slid onto the edge, beside Rev. "Hey Sunshine," the boy began. "Not like I care or nothin', but I, just wanna know, you was just messin' with Bertier, right?" Hallie snorted and inhaled some of her water, causing her to cough forcefully. Louis gently rubbed her back as Sunshine tried to hold back a smirk. "You-you just messin' with him, right? You're not really-"

Sunshine met Petey's gaze with such feigned innocence, Hallie almost believed him. "What are you talking about, Petey?"

Petey's calm, quiet questioning grew a bit frantic. "Look, man, it don't matter to me, if you, um, I just gotta know."

"If it don't matter, what's the big deal?" Sunshine pointed out. Hallie hid behind her hands to try and conceal her smile.

"I gotta know," the darker boy insisted. Rev glanced over at Hallie and shook his head.

"Know what?"

And here is where Petey lost his cool. He stood up, pointing an accusing finger at the blond, "You know what I gotta know! Don't be messin' with my mind."

"I think Coach has been keepin' Petey out of the shade too long, bro," Blue observed, earning a few laughs before they returned to their meal. Petey left a little while later, frustrated with his own ignorance.

Suddenly, Hallie felt a tap on her shoulder. Cheryl stood just behind, with her arms crossed over her body. Coach was waiting for her by the door. Hallie smiled gently. "Now what's put such a sour look on your face?"

"Coach Boone thought I was five," the tiny blonde answered.

"And I'm sure you corrected him that you are nine and a half?"

Cheryl nodded and looked down at the ground. "He also thinks I should be playin' with dolls."

Hallie reached for the girl, unhooked her arms, and lifted the blonde into her lap. "Well, you can just remind Coach Boone that he's got a girl on his team. Just maybe, one day, you'll get to play too."

"You really think I could?" Cheryl asked.

"I think you can do anythin' you set your mind too," said Hallie. "And you are probably the most stubborn person I know."

The nearly ten-year-old grinned. "And proud of it." Her brown eyes sought an unfamiliar face. "Who's that?"

"Cheryl meet our new second-string quarterback, Ronnie "Sunshine" Bass," Hallie introduced. Sunshine smiled at both girls.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Cheryl," he said.

Cheryl seemed to stare into his soul. "You're the kid who can't throw the veer." Sunshine's smile dropped almost instantly. Hallie tugged one of Cheryl's curls. "Ow!"

"Be nice. He's learnin'. Just like the rest of us," Hallie reminded her. "Now, you best be gettin' back to your dad. He's waitin' for you."

The blonde hopped off of Hallie's lap with a huff. "Fine, but will you come by our room later?"

The older girl grinned. "Of course."

Later that night, Sunshine and Hallie were tossing a football back and forth from their beds. "So why do they call you 'Princess'?"

Hallie paused and held the football in her hands. "I think it's a couple of things. I'm the sister of the captain so I guess I'm kinda like royalty. But I think it's more about how I'm the opposite of a princess or a lady, since I'm out there playin' with y'all." She threw the ball to him.

Sunshine quirked an eyebrow. "And you don't mind?"

She just shrugged. "It's grown on me."

He smiled. "I dig it."

At practice the next day, Hallie, Thomas, and Devin were running drills with Doc. After about an hour in the scorching sun doing quick sprints and powerful kicks, Doc allowed all three of them a water break. Hallie was grateful for the growing bond between the three of them. She had no doubt they could help each other truly improve and help each other out once the season kicked in. Devin had certainly been growing friendlier since Julius and Gerry set the example for team comradery. He and Thomas both bonded over a mutual love of cars that Hallie simply did not understand but let them talk her ear off about anyways.

"Hey Tom, Hal," Devin said quietly as the three stood, gulping water. The aforementioned players met his hazel gaze. "I, uh, wanted to apologize for bein' such a jerk at the start of camp. I guess I never really understood that it was possible to be friends with people who don't look like me. And I just wanted to say that I'm, uh, glad things are different now."

Hallie and Thomas shared a look before smiling at their third-string kicker. Thomas lightly punched him in the arm. "Us too, man." Devin grinned. Just then, Doc blew his whistle, calling them back to their drills.

The next night, Hallie lay in her bed. Sleep was just beginning to sweep over her when a whisper called out through the darkness.

"Hallie, are you asleep?"

"Mm-hmm," Hallie groaned.

"I can't sleep."

Hallie turned over and forced her eyes open to glare at the second-string quarterback. "Sounds like a you problem." It was silent for a moment and Hallie thought maybe Sunshine had gone back to sleep.

"I got an idea."

Hallie let out a small groan. "What?" She heard the bed creak and sensed a presence above her. She peeked through her lids. Sunshine's pearly whites were just barely visible through the shadows.

"I bet the stars look lovely tonight."

She glared at him. "I'm sure. Why don't you go find out?"

He smirked grew. "But I need a strong football player to protect me in the dark."

Hallie huffed. "You're impossible." He just laughed and moved out of the way so she could crawl out of bed and throw on a sweatshirt and shoes. Stuffing her hands in her pockets, she stomped after Sunshine. He led them out just past the football field to a small clearing and laid down a small sheet he'd brought with him.

They both sat down and gawked at the majestic sky littered with twinkling lights. Companionable silence fell on them as the summer breeze gently blew through their hair and the trees around them.

"Alright, I'll admit it," Hallie said after several minutes. "This was a good idea. Though, we may regret being up late tomorrow once Boone has us runnin' plays."

Sunshine shrugged. "Probably. But worth it."

Hallie glanced over at him. "Yeah, worth it."

"You know, Hallie, I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship."

She laughed. "Whatever you say, hot shot. Whatever you say."

The next day, Boone had them doing running in place drills, and, in Boone fashion, encouraging a united team attitude at the same time. "What are you?"

"MOBILE! AGILE! HOSTILE!" the entire team screamed in response.

"What is pain?"

"FRENCH BREAD!"

"Will you ever quit?"

"NO! WE WANT SOME MO'! WE WANT SOME MO'! WE WANT SOME MO'!"

"Turn in!" Boone yelled and the team stopped running and huddled up, some taking off their helmets, Gerry and Julius at the center.

The Captain removed his helmet. "Let me ask you somethin', Mister Campbell…What kinda power you got?"

Julius was grinning. "Aww, man, you know I got some soul power!"

"What kinda power you got?" Gerry egged him on.

"What kinda question is that? I got soul power!"

"Yes, you do!" The team whooped in agreement as they bounced on their toes, barely holding back their energy.

Now it was Julius' turn. "You let me ask you somethin' now, Mr. Bertier…How strong are you?"

"I'm too strong," was the cheeky reply. Hallie grinned from between Rev and Alan.

"What?"

"I'm too strong," Gerry yelled in affirmation.

"Oh, how strong?"

"Too strong!" the team growled.

The two boys in the middle stepped closer, the energy in the huddle growing. "I want a victory!"

"No, I want a victory!"

"No, I want a victory!"

Both turned to face their teammates. "Y'all want a victory?!"

"YEAH!" With that the energy exploded as cheers and roars went up. Somehow, despite everything, they had managed to unite as a team.

Hallie was surprised to find herself sad to leave camp. She'd come to enjoy hanging out with these boys, they were all slowly becoming like brothers she supposed. It would be strange not having them walking around the hall or hogging the ketchup at meal times. Sure, she would still see them on the field, but it wouldn't be the same. They'd have to face the world outside the bubble of Gettysburg College.

Rev and Louis had dragged her onto the first bus along with Alan and Petey. She chose the seat in front of Gerry and Julius. Sunshine hopped on board a few moments later and slid into the empty space beside her. Hallie nearly blushed when she realized she would miss sharing a room with the California boy. Blue, who was occupying the very back of the bus with Alan, Petey, and Thomas made sure no one wanted for entertainment the entire drive back to Alexandria. Just about every soulful track playing on the radio lately was introduced by said lineman. Hallie snorted as she imagined all of them as choir boys singing along with Blue. They were just wrapping "Na Na Hey Hey" by Steam when the bus pulled into the school where all of their parents were waiting.

Hallie slung her bag over her shoulder and disembarked the bus. Louis, who had already gotten off, pulled her into a bear hug before trotting off toward his father. Rev gave her a smile and Petey had the gall to kiss her cheek before joining their own parents. She waved to Alan just as Sunshine appeared at her side.

He slung an arm around her shoulders, not noticing the slight pink in her cheeks, and steered them toward where Gerry was hugging his mother. "Come on, I gotta check something with Gerry." Hallie let him lead her over. He slipped his arm off her shoulders and offered his hand to the captain. "Look, are we cool?"

Gerry hardly hesitated. "Yeah we're cool."

Mrs. Bertier eyed her daughter, who was staring at the pavement. "Are you just gonna stand there all day like a bump on a log?"

Hallie grinned before launching herself at her mother. "Hi, Mama. I missed you so much."

"Oh, my baby girl," her mother cooed in her ear before pulling back. "Look at you, you're getting so strong. I wasn't sure you'd make it through camp, and I'd have to come get you. But I should've known you'd surprise me. You're like your daddy in that way." Hallie could only grin. She then realized Sunshine was still standing there.

"Oh, uh, Mama, this our teammate Sunshine. He's second string quarterback and has a wicked spiral," she explained.

"Yeah, but no veer," Gerry laughed, putting the blond in a headlock. Hallie and Mrs. Bertier chuckled.

Gerry eventually let Sunshine go and the latter shook their mother's hand. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Bertier."

She smiled gently at him. "It's nice to meet you too. Sunshine is a very unique name."

All three teens laughed. "That's just the nickname the guy's have given me, ma'am." Mrs. Bertier nodded. "I should probably go find my parents. I'll see you guys later." All three Bertiers waved at the retreating blond.

As Gerry loaded his and Hallie's bags in the trunk, Mrs. Bertier grabbed Hallie's arm. "That Sunshine is awfully handsome," she muttered to her daughter.

Hallie's face flamed. "Mama!" If she only knew that they had shared a room back at camp.

The next few days before school started for the Bertiers were mostly spent with their mother. She sat patiently as the two of them explained how the season was looking and some of the improvements they'd made while at camp. They had tried to explain the friendships blooming with the black boys, but Mrs. Bertier changed the subject.

Alan and Ray had come over for dinner one night. The former was friendly as ever and excited for the season. He and Hallie even worked on some blocking in the backyard while Mrs. Bertier made dinner and the other two watched. Only Gerry offered them both constructive criticism. Ray simply watched, his face a mask of indifference. It was better than him angry, Hallie supposed.

The Saturday before the first day of school, Hallie was walking downtown hoping to spend time in her favorite bookshop when she spotted a few familiar faces. "Well, well, well, what do we have here? How's it going, Princess?" Petey grinned when she reached them.

Julius immediately kissed her forehead and Rev accepted her embrace enthusiastically. "I didn't think I'd see y'all until Monday."

"Yeah, well, your boys' gotta eat." Blue explained.

"You wanna join us?" Petey asked.

Hallie nodded. "Of course. Where were y'all gonna go?"

Julius chuckled, throwing his arm around her. "Some place you sure ain't never been." Curious now, Hallie let the boys lead her to a small diner a couple blocks away. It wasn't as modern looking as some of the other places she'd been to, but the smell inside completely made up for it.

"It smells sooooooooooo good!" she told them. They grinned at her reaction. The five of them settled into a booth and a waitress came over a moment later.

She stopped for a moment, looking at Hallie with wide eyes. Just as suddenly as the moment had appeared, it was gone. "Hey y'all, I'm Veronica, I'll be y'all's waitress today. Can I get y'all some water?"

"Yes, please," Rev answered for them. With a nod, a small smile, and a quick glance at Hallie, Veronica left the table.

The girl suddenly felt out of place. "They've never had a white girl in here, have they?"

Julius shook his head. "Probably not."

"Is it okay that I'm here? I don't wanna offend nobody," she continued, her eyes sweeping over the other employees and patrons.

"You're all right, Princess. They're real nice here, they ain't gonna bite," Blue assured her. She breathed a little easier as Veronica brought them all water and some menus.

"Thank you," Hallie told the teenage girl. Veronica's eyebrows raised for a moment before she smiled softly.

"You're welcome."

The rest of the meal passed without incident. The food was more amazing than Hallie had anticipated from the smells she'd noticed when they arrived. The boys even teased Julius for making eyes at Veronica. Hallie had a sneaking feeling the waitress also thought the lineman was attractive. They paid for their meal, Hallie making sure to leave a nice tip for Veronica as a thank you. She parted ways with the boys, promising to see them on Monday.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

September 4th rolled around, and Hallie and Gerry found themselves outside their newly integrated school: T.C. Williams. It would have been a beautiful road marker to their journey, especially for Gerry's last year of school, but it was marred by the copious protesters waving signs around the police and guard rails. As they drew nearer to the entrance, Emma appeared bringing a smile to Gerry's face.

"Hey." Hallie offered her a smile as well. She and Emma may not have been best friends, but she liked the girl well enough.

She looked over at a couple of black girls. "Look at 'em, Gerry, they hate us." Hallie had to refrain from rolling her eyes. How could they hate anyone they didn't know or had never interacted with?

Gerry shook his head. "Nah, just a bad day. Things'll cool down."

"No, Gerry," Emma replied. "They're always gonna hate us."

Hallie gasped, spotting her best friend. "Molly!" Offering Gerry and Emma a wave, she took off and embraced her fire-kissed friend. Molly had been with her family in the Hamptons most of the summer, and her golden skin certainly showed that.

"Who are you and what have you done with Hallie Bertier?" Molly demanded once they separated.

"What? I think you got too much sun this summer. I'm still the same ol' me," Hallie replied, grinning.

Molly shook her head emphatically. "Nuh uh. You're so fit! When you said you'd joined the team I didn't expect to see you so bulked up."

The blonde just laughed. "Well, if I'm gonna take down guys two or three times my size, I gotta put on a little muscle."

"You look good." The two were suddenly joined by Louis, Rev, and Sunshine.

"What's goin' on Hallie?" Louis greeted her, high fiving her.

Hallie hugged Rev and grinned at Sunshine. "Just catchin' up. Boys, this is my best friend Molly. Molly this is Louis, Rev, and Sunshine."

"I thought I was your best friend," Sunshine sniped causing Hallie to roll her eyes. He shook Molly's hand. "Nice to meet you."

"You too."

Rev slowly offered her his hand. The red head eyed his caramel hand for a long moment. Hallie's shoulders tensed but she quickly breathed a silent sigh of relief when Molly hesitantly shook Rev's hand. "It's a pleasure, ma'am."

"It's, uh, nice to meet you too," Molly stumbled over her words. She then turned to Louis, who was staring openly at her. "Uh, hi."

"Hi," he breathed before his eyes widened and flew to the concrete. Hallie had only ever seen him that red during practice. She smirked.

"All right, we should all probably head inside before the bell rings," she said.

A couple of days later, Hallie stood at her locker talking to Molly when Sunshine appeared. "Hey, I had an idea."

"That's gotta be a first," Molly said with a snort. He offered her a glare. The two of them were quick to form a love/hate relationship. They always bickered.

Hallie giggled. "What is it?"

"You guys wanna come over sometime this week? We can do homework or watch Hawaii Five-O?" Sunshine's suggestion actually sounded like fun.

"Yeah. But will your parents be cool with Rev?" Hallie sincerely hoped Sunshine's lack of racist perception came from his parents.

Sunshine nodded earnestly. "Oh yeah, totally."

Molly grinned. "Great. Maybe we can do Thursday night? Louis said somethin' earlier about doin' somethin' Thursday night." Hallie raised an eyebrow but didn't comment.

"Sounds like a plan to me."

On Thursday, Hallie let Gerry drive her to school so she could catch a ride with Sunshine to his house. Rev was driving Louis and Molly over after Louis' tutoring session.

"Do you mind if we pick up my brother and sister on the way?" Sunshine asked as they piled into his car.

Hallie shook her head with a small smile. "Not at all. I'm excited to meet them."

They sat in comfortable silence, listening to the Beach Boys. Sunshine pulled up to George Washington middle school. Two blondes immediately walked over to the car. The boy was probably a bit older, though he hadn't hit his growth spurt yet. But he and Sunshine shared a lot of features. The girl was close in height to the boy but still looked a bit younger. Her long hair reminded Hallie of how Sunshine's used to be.

"Hey, you two. How was school?" Sunshine asked as the two kids settled into the back seat.

"Good," they chorused. Both eyed the girl in the front seat curiously.

"This is my friend, Hallie," the quarterback introduced. "Hallie this is Adam and Sarah."

She turned around in her seat and smiled as Sunshine pulled back onto the road. "It's nice to meet both of you."

"You too," said Sarah with a tiny quirk of her lips.

"And you'll get to meet some of my other friends when we get home," Sunshine added.

"Are they all girls too?" Adam asked. Hallie couldn't quite tell if he was disgusted by her or just unsure of how to interact with girls.

Sunshine laughed. "No, there's a couple of guys from the team. And Adam, they dig the Temptations." That caused a smile to work its way onto the boy's face.

Soon they arrived at the Bass house. Their three friends arrived not long after. Mrs. Bass was very welcoming and made them all snacks. They did wind up watching Hawaii Five-O and a few other programs. Sarah happily settled herself between Molly and Hallie. Adam was engrossed in conversation with Louis about music. And Sunshine couldn't seem to stop smiling.

Finally, the night of their first game arrived. Hallie thought she might lose her dinner as they prepared to take the field. Rev put a hand on her shoulder. "It'll be all right, Hal. You'll see."

She took a deep breath. "I hope you're right." Something akin to pride mixed with fear washed over her as she held her jersey in her hands. It was a brilliant red, with a large white 17 pressed into the fabric. She'd made it. It wasn't a dream. She'd earned this spot. Now, she had to show she was worthy to continue. Setting her jaw, Hallie slipped the jersey on over her pads.

Just then Boone walked in. "All right, everybody on your feet. On your feet, on your feet. Let's go!" They all popped up, attention fixed on their coach. "Listen up…I'm not gonna talk to you tonight about winnin' and losin'. You're already winners because you didn't kill each other up at camp." Hallie managed to smile. "Tonight, we got Hayfield. Like all the other schools in this conference, they're all white. They don't have to worry about race…We do. But we're better for it." Louis, Rev, and Hallie shared a smile. "Let me tell you somethin'…don't let anythin', nothin', come between us. Nothin' tears us apart." Hallie gripped Rev and Petey's wrists. "In Greek mythology, the Titans were even greater than the gods. They ruled their universe with absolute power. Well that football field out there tonight, that's our universe. Let's rule it like Titans."

Thomas kicked off the game with a solid placement of the ball to the twenty-yard line. The other team ran it back some ten yards before being taken down by Gerry. Hallie rocked on her heels as she watched the defense keep Hayfield from gaining a first down.

Hallie took a deep breath and approached the line. Her shaking hand grasped the top of the ball. The lineman in front of her smirked. "Hey beautiful, what are you doin' out here on the field? Could break that pretty face or somethin'." Hallie bit her cheek.

Rev called out the play behind her. "Georgia front…twenty-six…twenty-six." Hallie hiked the ball back to him before slamming into the annoying lineman. He stumbled back a step, surprised for a moment. He recovered quickly, emitting a growl, before pushing back against her but it was too late. The whistle blew. They'd made a first down.

They came to the line of scrimmage again. The guy beside her blocking assignment looked between the two. "Man, did you get held back by a girl?"

"Shut up," her assignment growled. Hallie allowed herself a tiny grin.

With this next play, her opponent pushed harder and managed to get a little too close to Rev for Hallie's comfort. Luckily, the quarterback had enough time to pass the pigskin. The lineman stopped, seeing Rev empty handed.

Shaking herself, Hallie took her spot on the line. "Eat my dust, girl," he snarled at her.

She gritted her teeth and waited for Rev's call. As soon as the ball left her hands, she launched herself and knocked the lineman on his back. She leaned over him. "Eat my dust, boy."

Hallie watched from the sideline as the Hawks moved closer and closer to their endzone. Repeatedly, the receivers found holes on their left side, especially with Alan. The poor guy just couldn't seem to keep up with his assigned opponent.

When the Hawks scored their first touchdown and the corresponding field goal, Hallie and the rest of the offense took the field. Hallie hiked the ball back to Rev before taking on the defender opposite her. He managed to push her back a couple of steps, but she refused to let him to get to Rev or one of the receivers. After the blow of the whistle, she released him, and he stomped away. However, she soon discovered Rev getting up from the ground having been sacked. She looked around and saw Boone tearing into Petey and assumed he'd missed his block. Thus, he was benched. Hallie's heart went out to him.

With the loss of possession, Hallie was delegated to punt the ball as far downfield as she could to give the defense a chance to deter or recover possession from the other team. Once that was completed, she rejoined her team on the sideline.

She nudged Sunshine. "Enjoyin' the show?"

He grinned at her. "I hope that's sarcasm."

"Don't worry. You'll probably get to play in the second half," she assured him.

Sunshine shrugged. "That doesn't bother me much. It's just, we're not vibing. We were at camp and we're still good but we're just not…" he trailed off.

"Actin' like a family?" she offered. He nodded.

"Exactly."

Hallie took a step closer to the blond and spoke a bit quieter. "I think it's the stress of bein' back and everybody watchin' us."

Sunshine looked around at the stony faces of many in the crowd. "I think you're right. How do we change that?"

"I'm not sure yet."

They both refocused as Coach sent Petey in on defense, much to everyone's surprise. The most surprised and offended party was by far Alan's father, whose son he was replacing on defense. The man kept yelling from the stands as if his opinion would change anything.

"I hope this works," Rev muttered to Hallie and Sunshine.

And work it did. As the Hawks' QB threw to his tight end, Petey got there in time to smack the ball down, making the pass incomplete. The Titans erupted in cheers. There was a new sense of unity, at least among the defense as they destroyed the remainder of the game. Several times opposing receivers and the QB fumbled the ball, allowing the defenders to recover the ball and run it toward their own endzone, even scoring more than once. Hallie wished the offense was as improved. They weren't awful with the changes, but blocks were still being missed putting danger and pressure on Rev. Still, they managed to pull out a win. And the game ball unquestionably went to Petey.

And said honor unquestionably went to his head. After the game, and the much-needed showers, Petey invited a handful of them out to "paint the town". The game ball was safely secured under his arm as he, Hallie, Gerry, Sunshine, Julius, Rev, Alan, Louis, and Blue walked down main street. Gerry, Julius, and Hallie hung back to try and lift Alan's spirits a bit after being benched. The others, especially Petey and Blue, cheered and hollered about their win.

Alan hung his head after Petey made some comment about winning the game. Gerry slung his arm around the shorter boy. "No, don't worry about it. It's not your fault. They like to show off."

Julius put his hands up, expression hardening. "Whoa, wait. They?! I heard you say they." Alan, Hallie, and Gerry stopped

"Yeah, they. Them. Them over there," Gerry tried to clarify pointing at the others getting further up the road from them.

"But what you mean is-they-you're talkin' 'bout Petey!" Julius pushed. Gerry tried to argue but neither boy was listening. Alan and Hallie shared a look, the former shrugging and the latter sighing.

Hallie shoved her way between her two brothers. "All right, that's enough. Gerry meant 'they' as in the boys over there who, by their personalities and not their skin colors, like to show off and be loud and get a lot of attention. That's all. Can we go now?"

Before either leader or Alan could answer, a car pulled up and honked its horn. "Gerry!" Emma called from the back seat. Ray and a couple others were in the car as well. Gerry offered his teammates a look before walking over to the car. After a few moments, Gerry slowly backed away from the car. His lips were turned down and his whole posture just seemed to droop, like a drop of rain runoff on the edge of a roof. Hallie ran over to her brother and took his hand in hers, rubbing his arm with her free hand. He offered her a tiny smile.

"You alright?" she asked.

Gerry shook his head. "I think I'm gonna head home. You go on, make sure those guys don't get into too much trouble." They shared a chuckle and Gerry squeezed her hand before letting go and walking back the way they'd come.

Hallie looked over to Julius. "Will you make sure he gets home alright?"

Julius kissed her temple. "Don't worry, Princess. Superman's gonna be alright." With that he ran down the road toward her brother.

Hallie half-smiled at the two friends. As long as they stuck together, everything would indeed be alright. She broke into a jog and caught up to the others just as Petey, Blue, and Sunshine disappeared into a restaurant. "What are they doin'?" she demanded of Louis and Rev when she reached them.

"Somethin' stupid," Louis replied.

"Whose bright idea was this?" Hallie gestured at the establishment with a convenient 'No Coloreds' sign in the bottom left corner of the window.

"I don't think Sunshine realized…" Rev trailed off. Hallie's heart sank. Sunshine was about to get a wake-up call if he didn't realize the kind of danger, he'd just walked the others into. Just then a middle-aged white man with dark hair thinning out on top of his head shoved all three boys back out onto the street.

"What'd I tell you, man!" Petey immediately sniped at Sunshine.

Blue was quick to jump in. "Come on, Petey, man!"

"Petey, I didn't know, man," Sunshine tried to explain but Petey wasn't having that.

"I told you! Whatchu mean you didn't know?! You think I was playin with you!"

Louis tried to defend Sunshine this time. "Man, he ain't know, Petey!"

"Louis, he don't wanna know!" No one said anything in response to Petey's declaration. He continued to glare at Sunshine, crushing emotion in his dark eyes. "Man, you pull some crap like that you better be able to back it up."

Blue pulled on Petey's arm. "Let's go, man. Cool out."

Petey turned to the black boy at Hallie's side. "Let's go, Rev." Rev looked back to Hallie and Louis with a sort of apologetic and dejected look before following the others. Hallie desperately wished there was something she could do or say to make them all feel better. But there wasn't.

She turned to Louis. "Hey, why don't you go ahead and head on home, Louis. I need to talk to Sunshine."

He put a large hand on her shoulder. "You'll be alright?"

Hallie gave him a smile and squeezed the hand on her shoulder. "I'll be fine. See you on Monday."

The larger boy nodded and slapped Sunshine on the shoulder before heading off into the night. Sunshine cast Hallie a quick look before starting to walk off. Instantly she was at his side, tugging on his wrist to pull him to a stop.

"Oh, no, you don't get to walk away from like that, Sunshine."

"What more can I say besides I'm sorry?" He turned back to her, crossing his arms. "I feel awful already, I don't need to hear it from you too."

"I wasn't gonna scold you none," she assured him. "Look, I get why you did what you did. And in California that's normal. But here…it ain't."

Sunshine's jaw tensed. "Yeah, I got that. But- "

"But you thought us integratin' and playin' together would change that?" Hallie finished for him. "God knows I hoped it would. And I still do. But we ain't there yet." There was a pregnant pause as Hallie observed Sunshine and Sunshine observed the pavement. "The thing is…its gonna have to start with us. Our parents and grandparents and all the adult folks around here are real set in their ways. And that's all they've known or believed for decades. Somehow, we gotta show them skin color don't matter. But it ain't gonna happen overnight." Hallie took a cautious step closer and uncrossed Sunshine's arms. "I am sorry, though, you had to be on the receivin' end of the harsh slap of reality."

That got a chuckle from the golden boy. "Thanks." He sighed and his posture relaxed. "So, what do we do now?"

Hallie pursed her lips. "Well, you can walk me home, for starters."

"I think I can manage that." Sunshine strode down the sidewalk a few steps.

"Sunshine," she called after him. He stopped and turned back.

"Yeah?"

She grinned, pointing over her shoulder. "My house is that way."

Sunshine scratched the back of his head. "Oh, right." They fell in step together as they walked through the downtown toward the residential area where the Bertier's lived.

"So, tell me more about California. How long did your family live there?" Hallie questioned.

"Since I started high school," Sunshine explained. "It's the second longest we've lived somewhere."

"What's the first?"

"Hawaii."

Hallie couldn't help but giggle. "Wow, you really are a surfer dude."

Sunshine shrugged. "I guess. But I like it here."

"Yeah? You thinkin' about stayin' for college or headin' back to California?" Hallie's lungs constricted as she waited for his answer. Being a military brat, who knew how long he'd stay in Alexandria.

"I think I'd like to go to college nearby," Sunshine answer, smiling softly. "It's nice having' the guys on the team. You ever think about going to college outside of Virginia?"

Hallie shook her head. "Not really. I mean, if I did it probably wouldn't be too far, you know? Maybe one of the Carolinas or Pennsylvania or Maryland. Haven't decided yet." She was quiet for a moment, glancing up at the sky for a moment. "I guess…I like the idea of havin' a home some place. Sure, I'd like to see more of the world, as long as there was a home and a family to come back to."

She met Sunshine's blue eyes. He was smiling. "Yeah, I think I understand. I think family is what has gotten me through moving around so much."

"Well, it helps to have adorable siblings."

The blond quarterback chuckled. "Yeah, probably."

"I'm sure they miss California havin' been there so long. Do you? I mean, you must miss your friends or girlfriend and stuff, right?"

"A bit, yeah," Sunshine answered, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I've got one or two friends I keep up with. But that's about it. No girlfriend to speak off." A sort of quickness flitted through Hallie's chest.

"Well, I know we're all glad to have you here." They'd reached the Bertier house.

"Even after tonight?" Sunshine's face turned serious.

Hallie led them up the steps. "You'll find round here, if you can pick yourself up and keep going, they'll respect you for it."

His expression softened as he stood just a step below Hallie. "Alright then. Thanks, Hal…for everything."

Her breath caught in her throat as she smiled at him. "You're welcome." They both stood there for a moment, uncertain. Hallie broke the silence. "Good night."

"Good night."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

A few days later, Hallie was reading on the couch in the living room after school when she heard raised voices coming from upstairs. "Ma, just give him a chance! Get to know him. Listen to him for two seconds!"

"I don't want to get to know him!" It sounded like Gerry and Mrs. Bertier were fighting about Julius again. Hallie sighed as she flipped the page. That was all Gerry, Hallie, and Mrs. Bertier could talk about lately. Hallie realized where she and Gerry got their stubbornness from and now it was biting them in the butt.

Their next game against Herndon wasn't a walk in the park. By half time almost everybody was covered in mud and grass, staining their once pristine white uniforms, except Sunshine, who's California behind was warming the bench. They were tied 10-10 when the fourth quarter rolled around, Thomas had thankfully managed to sink a thirty-yard field goal.

Rev, Louis, and Hallie stood on the sideline as the defense began to run in from the field. Blue came up between Rev and Hallie. "How's it goin', y'all?"

"Man, I didn't sign up to play like this," Louis grumbled, his shoulders slumped in spite of his padding. Hallie nodded. The Titans weren't bad, they'd probably manage to win this game, but they were nowhere near where they could be.

Rev sighed. "These guys we're playing got no heart. If we play like this against Groveton, we're goin' down."

The whistle blew a moment later and Boone called to them. "Okay offense, offense, let's go!" The three offense players shrugged on their helmets and returned to the field. They managed to move the ball down the field and fake a pass so Rev could run the ball in for a touchdown, winning the game. However, for some reason, the victory was more of a relief than a joy.

Two days later, Hallie was over at the Yoasts' hanging out with Cheryl. The blonde, of course, wanted to shoot some hoops after Halie made them both lunch. Coach was in his office, trying to figure out how to get the boys to play better. Hallie was glad to have a break from the boys. Though she loved them dearly, she wanted to smack most of them upside the head.

After a while of Cheryl dominating the elder girl, a car pulled up and Boone and his daughter, Nikki, hopped out. "Hey Coach, Miss Bertier," Boone greeted.

"Afternoon," Cheryl replied as Hallie waved.

"Where's your dad?"

Cheryl nodded back to the house. "He's in his office."

Boone turned to his daughter. "Nikki, you alright?"

The girl in the purple dress nodded. "Yes, daddy."

"Don't worry, Coach," Hallie said. "I'll keep my eye on them." Boone smiled at her a bit before heading inside.

Nikki eyed the ball Cheryl was beginning to dribble. "Whatchu doin'?"

"Shootin' some hoops," answered the blonde. "Wanna play?" Cheryl bounce-passed the ball toward the girl in pigtails. The latter dodged the ball as if it were a snake or a spider.

Nikki then held up her hands. "I just did my nails."

Hallie tried hard, albeit unsuccessfully, to not laugh at the whole exchange. Both younger girls shot her a glare. The green-eyed girl cleared her throat. "Well, Nikki, I could always fix your nails if they get chipped or damaged after we play."

The darker girl seemed to consider it for a moment before shaking her head. "I'll just watch." With that she settled on the porch and Cheryl retrieved the ball so she and Hallie could continue where they'd left off. Hallie sighed a little; somehow these two were going to be friends if she had any say in it.

One day during lunch, seeing as the weather was still nice, Sunshine wanted to eat lunch outside and practice his Tai Chi. Hallie went with and sat down under a tree to read the book Louis was reading for his English class: Great Expectations. Sunshine had graciously lent his letterman jacket for her to sit on, so her skirt didn't get dirty. Said quarterback was a few feet away, moving through his Tai Chi forms.

Hallie looked up after finishing the chapter she'd been working through and watched Sunshine. He was very precise, almost graceful. His golden hair was moving across his face as he moved around in the invisible circle. His blue eyes were so focused, his eyebrows furrowed in deep concentration.

"So, what's this called again?

"Tai Chi," Sunshine answered without faltering in his technique.

"Yeah, but what is it exactly?" Hallie pestered. She'd watched a lot of Kung Fu movies with Gerry, but this wasn't like anything she'd ever seen before. "I can't tell if you're dancin' or doin' Kung Fu."

Sunshine stopped and turned to her, hands on his hips. "It's a style of marital arts but it's more about mindfulness and inner peace than kicking butt." He smirked. "I can teach you, if you want?"

Hallie was a little suspicious of his smirk. "Maybe some other time."

Sunshine shrugged and went back to his forms. Hallie returned to her book to begin the next chapter. However, the quiet didn't last long. A few groups of girls passed by their spot a few times, giggling and whispering to one another. Hallie, distracted from the page, snorted when she noticed. "Those girls are watchin' you."

He stopped again, looking around for a moment. "Why?"

It was Hallie's turn to shrug. "They probably think you're cute."

Sunshine's face pinched, as if that was some sort of absurd idea. "They don't even know me. It's only the third week of school."

She grinned. "Don't think that matters much to them." The blond hung his head and came over to sit beside her.

"Yeah, I figured." He pulled his knees up and gripped his wrist around them. "That's one of the reasons I didn't date much in California, you know. Girls only seem to like me for what I look like, not who I am."

Hallie closed her book and looked up at him. He was looking at the grass. "I'm sorry. That sounds real tough. Just so you know, they're missin' out 'cause I think you're a great person."

He met her gaze and smiled. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." A group of boys passed and nodded to Sunshine. He just looked confused. "And I think I kinda understand, in a different way." She played with her hands on top of her book. "I guess…I'm scared that guys won't want to date me 'cause I'm on the team and can probably throw them on the ground." They both laughed softly. "I worry that they'll be like Ray and wonder if I'm even a girl."

Sunshine's jaw clenched. "When did he say that?"

Hallie waved him off. "At camp before you even got there. JJ shut him up and he ain't bothered me much since."

He gently nudged her with his shoulder. "I'm sorry. And, for the record, any guy who doesn't think you're amazing for doing what you do, don't deserve to date you…or even speak to you."

The green-eyed girl laughed. "Thanks, Sunshine." Just then the bell rang, and the two teammates packed up their stuff to head inside.

Apparently, a fight had broken out earlier that day due to Petey talking to some white girls in the hall. Thankfully, Gerry and Julius had been there to break it up. But that hadn't done them any favors in bettering the opinions of either side. Things only escalated from there as Coach Yoast asked Coach Tyrel to step down as his general attitude was hurting the team. Then some hateful person threw a brick through the window of the Boone's house one night when Cheryl was visiting. When Hallie saw Cheryl soon after that, she practically squeezed the life out of the tiny blonde.

A few days later, Hallie was sitting in the living room, reading as Mrs. Bertier watched the evening news. Just then Gerry came bounding down the stairs, keys in hand. "Hallie, come on, we're goin' for a drive."

Her eyebrows furrowed but she put the book down and followed him out to his car. They stopped a few blocks away, where Julius seemed to be waiting for them. The darker boy hopped in the back seat as Gerry set off again. Hallie could tell he was heading for the school after a few minutes. "Gerry, JJ, what's goin' on?"

"We're callin' a meetin' in the gym. Gotta sort some things out if we're gonna have a chance of winnin' on Friday," her brother replied.

Hallie's jaw dropped. "Well it's about damn time." Both boys grinned at her as they pulled into the school lot.

Their teammates began to trickle into the gym, all looking confused and disgruntled to be here so late. "Where's coach, man?" one of the colored boys spoke up. "What's he want with us now?"

Blue and Louis stepped forward. "Coaches ain't call this meeting," said Blue.

Louis nodded. "We did."

Most of the others waved them off and started for the doors, but Gerry and Julius and Hallie beat them there. "Hey, how are y'all gonna walk out on your teammate like that?" Julius demanded. "He say he got somethin' to say. Y'all got to listen."

"Turn around," Gerry ordered, his Captain persona leaking through. "Where you goin'? Turn around!" Hallie stepped in front of a couple of boys, arms crossed. It seemed they didn't feel like trying to go through her.

"Coach Boone brought us this far, y'all," Blue began. "But he ain't gonna be there for us forever, man. So what, we won a few games. And y'all fool think that's somethin'? Man, that ain't nothin' y'all. And you know what else? We ain't nothin' either." He was met only with silence. Hallie wove her way through the crowd to stand next to Rev and Sunshine. "But then we're right back here and the world tells us that they don't want us to be together. We fall apart like we ain't a damn bit of nothin', man! And y'all think we done won somethin'? Man, we ain't won nothin' y'all. Nothin'."

Louis suddenly walked over to where Hallie and Rev were standing. "Rev what's that you're always tellin' me when I get sick of tryin' to keep up with my grades and stuff?" Before Rev could respond Louis started singing, causing him, Hallie, and Sunshine to smile. "'Even youuuuths grow tired and wearyyyy! Even young men stumble and fall. But those who trust in the LORD will reneeeeew their streeeeength!'"

Rev was excited now. "See, yeah, amen!" He high-fived Louis before turning to the closest person to him, which happened to be Ray. "That's what I'm talkin' about!" But Ray did not respond to Rev's high five, instead the QB turned to Sunshine, who eagerly clasped his hand. "Amen!"

"That's right!" said the blond.

Louis continued to sing as Rev continued high fiving those nearest. "'They will soooooar on wings like eeeeagles!'"

Rev sung back, "Like eagles, y'all…like eagles, y'all."

"'They will waaaaalk and not grow faaaaaaaaint!'" Louis finished.

"Can I get an amen!" Rev cried before leading the team in creating a beat with their hands.

Gerry and Julius appeared in the middle of the gathering. "We play Groveton Friday night, y'all. Y'all gonna play like you ain't got no heart!" the Captain demanded.

"No!" the yelled back.

"Do y'all want a victory?" Julius questioned.

"Yeah!"

"Do y'all want a victory?" Gerry questioned even louder.

"Yeah!"

"Bring it in!" Julius and Gerry cried as they all huddled. Hallie felt a ton of weight leave her shoulders. Finally, they were back. And this time, they'd be ready for whatever the world was gonna throw at them.

Friday night arrived and Hallie felt her nerves multiply in her stomach. It almost felt like this was the first game of the season all over again. In all honesty, she was more nervous about remembering the steps to the team dance Blue and Louis had concocted and taught them all. She hoped it had the desired effect on the other team.

They all arrived in the locker room earlier than usual to put on their red uniforms and show the coaches they were ready, truly ready. Soon enough, Coach and Boone arrived and looked around at all of them suspiciously. "What's goin' on?" Boone questioned.

Blue and Louis stepped forward. "Coach," said Blue, "We wanted to let you know that we's gonna warm up a little different tonight."

Boone was silent for a moment but seemed to recognize the strange change in the room. "Alright then. Then you lead 'em Blue."

"Yes sir."

The entire team formed up in rows and "whooped" down the length of the field closest to the T.C. Williams crowd. Once they arrived at their endzone, their lines changed formation and Blue called out."

"Five, six. Five, six, seven, eight!"

"Everywhere we go, people wanna know, who we are. So, we tell them…we are the Titans, mighty, mighty Titans." They all sang as they flowed through the steps of the dance Louis and Blue had come up with. Hallie couldn't help but grin the entire time at her teammates. Never in a million years would she have imagined this, but this was certainly something none of them would ever forget.

Groveton kicked off the game, and the Titans managed to move the ball to the forty-yard line. Hallie set herself in front of Rev, hand on the ball, glaring at the lineman in front of her. "Ready!"

"Two flights, Omaha!" Louis yelled from down the line. "Omaha!"

At Rev's call of "Hike!" Hallie snapped the ball back and drove her entire body weight into the defender in front of her. He stumbled back a few steps before pushing back against her. She heard a sickening crack followed by the whistle. Rev was on the ground just behind her, a mammoth of a teen hovering over him.

"Song's over, Sammy!" the opposing lineman taunted causing Jacob, the other Titan tight end, to shove the smirking player. Their tiny tussle was quickly broken up.

Hallie's stomach dropped into her cleats as Rev still lay on the turf. She was at his side in an instant. "Rev, what's wrong?"

"My wrist," he groaned in response. His jaw was clenched, and he was gripping his right arm tightly against his chest.

Hallie's head whipped over to the sideline, finding Boone immediately. Boone didn't need any more convincing to come onto the field. He jogged over and crouched down beside Hallie. Louis joined them.

"What happened, Lastik? Bertier?" Boone demanded quietly.

Hallie shook her head as she rubbed Rev's upper arm soothingly. She'd had the man in front of her held. She hadn't seen anything behind her. "I audibled. I swear to God, Rev, I audibled," Louis replied.

"I didn't hear it," Ray's interjection caused the center to look up from her friend and narrow her eyes at him. She had heard and she'd been at least two people away from Louis. "I swear to God."

Just then the medic arrived and examined Rev. "He's broken a bone in the wrist. He won't be throwing anymore this season, Coach." Hallie desperately held back her tears. She had to be strong for Rev, for all of them.

She and Boone, along with the medic, took Rev back to the sideline. One of the referees came up to Boone. "You got one minute, Coach."

Coach appeared next to Boone. "Now would be the time take the time out, Coach."

Boone pursued his lips and turned to Hallie. "He ready?"

"As he'll ever be, Coach," she replied.

Boone nodded. "Ronnie Bass!"

"Coach, Rev's going back in, right?" Sunshine questioned as Boone took him aside.

Coach turned to the teenage girl. "Now, Hallie, I've always trusted your judgement but I just gotta be sure. There's nothin' goin' on between you and Sunshine that would make you want to see him play, even if he wasn't ready?"

Hallie's eyebrows raise. "Coach, I hope you never feel like you have to question my judgment again. I don't really think this is an appropriate time, but I wasn't lyin' when I said he's as ready as he can be. He's my friend and my teammate and Rev and I have been workin' with him a lot. Can you trust me on that?"

The corners of Coach's mouth turned up almost imperceptibly. "Yeah, I trust you. But you better show me you can play just as well as you defend your teammates."

She grinned. "You bet, Coach."

"Bertier!" Hallie offered Coach a small shrug before joining Sunshine and Boone. "Twins right zero one, okay? Let's go!" Sunshine and Hallie took off toward the scrimmage line.

All the guys looked to Sunshine as they huddled up a few yards from the line. "What's the matter? Haven't you ever seen a football injury before, you wimps? Let's go show some strength in those legs. Don't worry I got it." Hallie shook her head. She knew Sunshine was encouraging himself just as much as the rest of them. He turned to Louis. "Let him through, alright?"

"What?!" both Louis and Hallie gasped.

Sunshine put his hand on top of Louis' helmet. "Just let him through. Trust me." The boys nodded and took their positions.

"I certainly hope you know what you're doin'," Hallie told Sunshine.

He grinned down at her. "Have a little faith in me, Hal." She took her place on the line. "Ready…set…Blue twenty-one…Blue twenty-one…Hike!" As soon as the ball was out of her hands, Hallie launched herself at her opponent. No way was she letting anybody else hurt her boys. Much to her surprise, and his, he went down to the turf, stunned.

She chanced a glance around her and saw Louis' blocking assignment barreling toward Sunshine, the same bastard who had hurt Rev. Sunshine, without hesitation, threw the pigskin and suddenly dropped down to take out the runner's knees and flip him over the QB's head. The poor lineman landed with a loud thud as the crowd went wild.

Hallie started laughing as she ran over to Sunshine and hugged him tightly. "I think I'm beginnin' to understand why you do that Tai Chi stuff." He smirked as he released her and they both watched the opposing lineman get escorted off the field, glaring at the second-string QB. The rest of the offense boys surrounded them.

Petey was whooping and giggling like Baskin-Robbins had come out with a new ice cream flavor. "Did you see that glare? That's a bad white boy, man."

"Serves him right," Hallie snarled. She gripped Sunshine's wrist snapping his attention away from the boy he'd flipped. "Come on, we've got a game to win."

The Titans were on fire. The rest of the game the offense moved fearlessly, gaining yard after yard. Hallie had never seen Sunshine so confident. They followed his lead and continued to score touchdowns and put Thomas within field goal range. It was like they were in sync, especially Hallie and Sunshine. Even the slightest ticks sent a message that gave them a leg up on their competition. Hallie grinned broadly when Sunshine threw deep to Kyle in the endzone, some forty yards or so. The cocky Californian even managed to run one in himself.

Cheers erupted in the locker room after the game. The boys were all in varying states of dress, celebrating their victory. Hallie sat with Rev, completely changed out of her gear. His hand was all bandaged up and would take weeks, probably months to heal.

"All right, listen up. Listen up!" Boone's voice rang out, calming the celebration. He held up a football. "Game ball…Ronnie Bass." The entire team cheered as Sunshine stood and received the honor. After shaking Boone's hand, Sunshine held up the ball.

"Hey, this ball goes to the real king, right here." He presented the ball to Rev, who smiled bashfully. "Thanks for teaching me the veer, Rev." The boys hugged as the rest of the players cheered for Rev. Louis, in a bit too much excitement, raised Rev's broken wrist, earning a groan from the poor QB and several slaps from those around him.

Sunshine sat beside Hallie and threw his arm around her. She wrinkled her nose. "You stink. Also, I'd like to think I helped you with the veer as well."

He smirked. "You did. But you didn't take a season-long injury for it."

"Touché. But you still stink." He chuckled and got up to head for the showers. Hallie met her brothers gaze. He had a pensive look, like he was determined to do something but didn't like that he had to do it. She rose from the bench and went over to him. "Gerry, what's wrong?"

"It's Ray."

Hallie stared at her brother for a long moment. "You're gonna tell him to leave the team?" She never imagined Gerry would even contemplate it. Sure, things had been rough with Ray since camp but this? She didn't think their friendship could survive this.

Gerry looked down. "I have to. We can't have anybody else gettin' hurt because of his hatred."

The blonde girl nodded before embracing the Captain. "I'm proud of you. I'll catch a ride home with JJ, so don't worry about me."

"Thanks, Hal."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The weeks that followed that third game of the season, were a high ride for the Titans. Not only was there a growing school spirit among their classmates, but the entire community was slowly rallying around them. Signs began to appear in the windows of local businesses, encouraging the team. And Alan thought it would be good idea to catalogue their journey on his new video camera. The boy had the thing with him everywhere for the following weeks of the season.

The Saturday after their fourth game, Gerry was nervous; Hallie could tell. She was nervous too. She sent up a silent prayer that nobody stopped Julius on his way because he looked out of place in a white neighborhood.

But all was well when they spotted him coming up the sidewalk. Gerry immediately went out to the porch to greet him. The two fake-boxed before embracing one another. Hallie just giggled at their antics. Beside her, Mrs. Bertier was wringing her hands. Her daughter knew she was anxious, but the teen was grateful her mother was even trying.

Julius and Gerry entered the room, still grinning. Hallie sprinted across the room to hug the former. As she released him, Gerry put a hand on Julius' shoulder. "Julius, this is my mama. Mama, this is my brother, Julius."

Mrs. Bertier took a shaky step forward. "It's nice to meet you, Julius." She was about to extend her hand to the boy, but he suddenly embraced her warmly.

Hallie's hands flew to her mouth as her heart grew warm like a fresh cup of hot cocoa on a crisp fall day. Mrs. Bertier hugged Julius back, a small smile appearing on her lips. Gerry grinned as he wrapped his arm around Hallie.

Julius released Mrs. Bertier. "I'm real happy to meet the mother of my brother and sister."

Mrs. Bertier was truly smiling now. "And I'm happy to meet you, Julius. Would you, uh, like to stay for lunch?"

"Yes ma'am. I'd like that," he replied.

The two teens gave their friend and teammate a tour of the house as Mrs. Bertier put some lunch together. The three of them wound up in the backyard, sitting on the patio until Mrs. Bertier called them in to eat. Hallie couldn't express the joy of having both her brothers and mother at the same table.

She bit into her mother's chicken sandwich. "Mama, does this have walnuts?"

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Hallie," her mother scolded.

Hallie turned to Julius. He was about to take a bite of his sandwich. "Wait, JJ! Don't eat that!" Julius put the sandwich down.

"Why not?" Gerry demanded.

Hallie swallowed her own food so she could better be understood. "Because JJ's allergic to nuts! Do you feel like takin' to the hospital 'cause I don't!"

"How do you know about his allergies?" Gerry continued, brows furrowed.

"Oh, I told her years ago," Julius answered without thinking. The entire table froze.

"Years?" questioned Mrs. Bertier. "What do you mean years?"

Julius met Hallie's wide-eyed gaze. "Oops, uh, my bad."

Hallie looked over to her brother and mother. "Well, uh, JJ and I knew each other when we was kids. Back when we lived in the country house, remember? Well, I was explorin' the woods out back one day and ran into him. We sorta became friends and would play back in the woods. We didn't see each other again until camp since we moved here."

The table was silent for a long moment. Gerry rubbed his chin. "Okay, that actually explains a lot." Julius and Hallie grinned. "But why didn't you guys tell anybody?"

Hallie looked over to Julius. "Well, that was before we found out we was brothers, Superman." The two boys smiled.

Mrs. Bertier stood up. "Well, now that that's all settled, I'll make you a fresh sandwich Julius."

"That's not necessary, ma'am," Julius tried to assure her. "I was taught to never waste food."

Mrs. Bertier smirked. "It won't go to waste because Gerry is like a garbage disposal. He'll eat it." They all laughed.

Julius became a semi-permanent fixture in the Bertier house after that day. And he paved the way for the other colored boys to find a place in Mrs. Bertier's house, and heart, as well. Though she'd never say it, Julius was easily her favorite.

After they crushed their opposing team at game five, one of the local diner's offered a 'Titan's Eat Free' special. That Sunday after church, many of the players met there and gorged themselves. Hallie laughed heartily at the appetites of her growing boys. Gerry and Blue even engaged in a pancake eating contest. They folded whole flapjacks and shoved them into their pieholes. After that day, the sign was taken down.

Apparently, having seen all the female attention Sunshine was getting, plus his defensive prowess on the field, Blue approached the quarterback about sharing his Thai Chi skills. And, of course, Petey, Thomas, and Alan jumped in to learn as well.

Tuesday after their sixth win, Hallie sat outside with Rev, Molly, and Louis as per usual. However, she was unable to concentrate on her book due to the entertaining site of the four boys trying to learn the forms. She laughed as Blue tried to hold an invisible orb in his arms. He looked like an elephant trying to imitate a cheetah. The other three weren't much better off.

Petey glared when Hallie laughed again after tripping over his own feet. "You wanna try, Princess?"

Not one to back down from a challenge, she closed her book and stood up. She placed herself on Sunshine's left, a step or two behind. Attentively, Hallie mimicked his steps and motions. He was watching her out of the corner of his eyes. Eventually, they reached the end of the form.

"Looks like someone's been paying real close attention," Alan said, eying Hallie with a raised brow. She rolled her eyes at him.

"I gotta admit, you're pretty good," agreed Sunshine. "But you're missing part of the flow. Take your first stance." She followed his directions, putting her left foot back a step and lifting her right palm up. Sunshine rounded her, observing. His hands suddenly appeared on her hips from behind. It took all of her will power to not jump in surprise. "Now as you move into the next position, remember that all your power comes from your center, not your limbs."

She nodded. He was teasing her, she could tell. But she refused to cave to his challenge. As she moved into the next position his hands guided her. And she honestly felt the difference.

"See?"

Most of her concentration was on his hands on her hips and trying to control her breathing. "Uh-huh."

"Would you two like some privacy?" Petey's jib felt like ice water had been poured over Hallie. She stepped away from Sunshine and crossed her arms.

Sunshine, hiding the red embarrassment crawling up his neck, smirked and approached Petey. "What, Petey, you jealous?" The blond went for Petey's waist, but the running back jumped away as if he'd gotten too close to a bonfire.

"Don't you go messin' with my mind again, man!" Petey exclaimed. Sunshine just grinned and grabbed at Petey. This resulted in a short lived but highly entertaining wrestling match. Both boys walked away unscathed, minus Petey's ego for being pinned so quickly.

It was during the second quarter of game seven, when Thomas was the recipient of a nasty tackle after successfully earning a field goal for the Titans. One of the defensive players was able to break through the line and was unable to stop before taking the kicker down. Hallie's heart stopped for a moment.

Boone and Coach were quick to help him off the field and onto the bench. Hallie sat down beside him as Devin punted the ball and the defense took the field. She offered him a cup of water. "Guess you'll finally get to kick in a game, Princess," Thomas chuckled.

"Oh, hush up, you'll be fine." She lightly smacked his arm. He winced.

"I know I will be. But you're gonna have to cover the field goals the rest of the game," Thomas continued. He took a sip of his water. "Then maybe Boone will have you kick more."

"That's if I make this next one, if there even is another one this game," Hallie replied. "It could be a touchdown only game from here on out."

Thomas nudged her shoulder. "Don't be scared, Princess. You'll do fine."

Hallie wished she believed him. In the next quarter, the Titan offense was just past the twenty-five-yard line. But the opposing defense delayed their first down. Hallie was up. As the offensive players left the field and the defensive players took their places, Gerry and Julius ran over to her.

"You ready, Princess?" Julius asked.

She glanced over at the uprights. "Not really."

Gerry put a hand on her shoulder. "We know you can do this, Hal. Boone knows it, Yoast knows, everybody knows it."

"But you gotta know it too," said Julius.

Hallie couldn't help but smile at them. "Thanks, y'all. Y'all are the best big brothers a girl could ask for." She lightly punched Gerry in the shoulder. "All right, let's do this."

The center and second-string kicker took a deep breath and approached Devin. He crouched down, ready to receive the ball and set it up for her. "Hey Princess?" She looked over to him. He smirked. "Make it pretty." They shared a grin.

Hallie took a deep breath. The whistle blew. She took a running start and connected her foot. The ball sailed beautifully right between the posts. The defense cheered and rushed her. "Alright you big lugs! The game's not over yet. Let's go!"

One day the following week, Julius, Gerry, and Hallie were talking in the hall between classes. Well, the latter two were talking animatedly about Friday's game and seeing the newest movie the Saturday after. The outside linebacker was gazing down the hallway at the pretty waitress, Veronica, as she stood at her locker.

Gerry, noticing Julius' lack of conversational input, slapped his friend on the shoulder. "Hey, man, you alright?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, of course," Julius replied, snapping his attention back to his siblings. Hallie glanced down the hall where Julius' eyes had been so preoccupied and giggled softy.

"JJ, you should go talk to her."

"Talk to who?" Gerry demanded, looking around like a dog for a hidden bone.

Hallie pointed toward the girl. "That's Veronica. JJ thinks she's pretty."

"I never said that!" groaned Julius. Gerry was beginning to smirk.

"You didn't have to. It's all over your face," Hallie snapped back causing Gerry to laugh. "Just go talk to her. Ask her to a movie, or dinner, or somethin'. The worse she can say is no." Julius remained hesitant. "Unless you're chicken." That earned her a glare before Julius marched down the hall toward Veronica.

Gerry put his arm around Hallie. "You are too smart for your own good."

Prior to their ninth game, one of the community members donated an old car to the school. It was then decorated with paint of the same colors as the team they would be playing on Friday. At the rally at the end of the school day, the team was invited to take a sledge hammer and smash the car.

Blue, Alan, Sunshine, and Petey ganged up on the doors. Louis put a sizable dent in the trunk. Rev stood on top of the hood and pointed up to heaven before caving in the roof. Gerry and Julius waltzed up together and took turns smashing the hood.

Julius then came over to Hallie, offering her the sledge hammer. She gave him a confused look. "We all think you should get the window, Princess."

The green-eyed girl grinned and accepted the hammer. She walked up to the car, feeling the weight in her hand. Thankfully, she was wearing pants, so she clambered up onto the hood. She held the sledge diagonally down and yelled, "Four!" as she pulled it back and swung. The hammer made a nice hole in the glass and splintered the glass around it. She leapt off the hood and rejoined the team.

At practice the following week, Hallie was working with Thomas and Devin. Boone came over after Hallie sunk a beautiful thirty-yarder. "Alright, Miss Bertier, you've been pretty consistent at the thirty. But I wanna know if you can handle the thirty-five like Thomas."

Hallie took a deep breath. Devin set up the ball and she stepped back a couple of yards. Licking her lips, she broke into a run and kicked with all her might. The ball began to curve toward the end of its arc but just barely stayed between the two uprights. She breathed a sigh of minor relief.

"Not bad," said Boone. "I want you to keep working on this distance so you can be more consistent like Thomas. Sanders, I'd like you to work on getting past the twenty-five." Devin nodded. "Good work, you three." They all smiled a bit as Boone left them to continue their drills.

That night, Molly came over to the Bertier house for a much-needed girl's night. As much as Hallie loved all of her boys, it was nice to let her hair down a bit with Molly. The two girls spent most of their evening baking cookies in the kitchen, with Mrs. Bertier checking in on their mess every so often. They promised they'd clean it up. Gerry was over at Julius' in the Berg and probably wouldn't be back till late.

Molly's fiery hair had paled with the surprising amount of flour caught up in it. Hallie's hands had grown more pale than usual from a similar causation. Eventually, they put the cookies in the oven and retired to the living room to watch TV as they baked.

"I still can't believe you guys are winnin' every game," Molly said, accepting the glass of milk Hallie had retrieved for her.

Hallie nodded. "Yeah, I'm kinda amazed too. I knew we could be good if we put in the effort but it's amazin' how far we've come."

Molly grinned at her friend. "Look at you, Hallie Bertier, first female football player of T.C. Williams. Did you ever think you'd ever be somethin' besides Gerry Bertier's little sister?"

The blonde took a sip of her drink. "Honestly, I wasn't sure I'd be more than that even if I did make the team. I mean the boys, the white boys, like Alan and Ray and the others, have always treated me like that. Not that we weren't friends or nothin', just that I wasn't more than that, you know?" Molly nodded. "And with the colored boys, I guess they got to know me as me since they didn't like Gerry from the start. I'm just glad we can all be friends as well as teammates."

"Except Ray," Molly pointed out, her eyes narrowing. Hallie almost regretted telling Molly about the 'incident' at camp. But since nothing had happened since, Molly didn't press the issue.

"Yeah, it's real sad. He's missin' out on something amazin'."

They were both quiet for a moment. Molly suddenly sat up and put her drink down on the coffee table. "Alright, as your best friend and only girl friend, I have to know what's goin' on with you and Sunshine." Hallie groaned and covered her face with her hands. "Come on, Hal!"

"I dunno, Molly. I mean, I think I'm bein' obvious that I wanna be more than friends, but I don't think he's seein' that. Plus, I don't want to ruin our friendship or the season if he doesn't like me," Hallie explained, not meeting Molly's observant gaze.

"Hal, he's head over heels in love with you," Molly stated as if it were as obvious as the facemask call in the Titan's sixth game.

"You don't know that," Hallie argued.

Molly shrugged. "I have eyes. It's written all over both of your faces."

Hallie grinned. "It's written on yours too when you're around Louis." Molly's face flushed as bright as her hair.

"Maybe. And I might just do somethin' about that because Lord knows he's too shy to ask me to be his girl," Molly said.

The blonde couldn't help but laugh. "That's true. You're gonna have to bring it up first. Do you have a plan?"

The red head nodded. "Yeah, but I'm gonna wait till after the season and we know if he's eligible for college. I don't wanna be a distraction from all that."

Hallie smiled. "I can dig that. Here's to our confusing love lives." The two clinked their glasses of milk and proceeded to devour all the cookies they'd baked.

A couple of days later, Hallie sat at the front round table with Mrs. Bertier, Boone and his wife, Coach, Gerry, Julius, and Julius' father at a community dedication dinner. The food had been incredible. And surprisingly, the conversation among their group flowed with ease.

Eventually, the mayor got up to the podium. "Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for bein' here this evenin'. It is my honor and privilege to be part of this community and to give this award tonight. Many of you know the great change our community has worked through with the opening of T.C. Williams this year. And I am proud of the young men who have faced this change and come out on top with a 10-0 season, with no look of slowin' down. It is my honor to present this Distinguished Leaders award to Gerry Bertier and Julius Campbell of the T.C. William's Titans."

The crowd broke into thunderous applause and cheers. Julius and Gerry walked up the steps, shook the mayor's hand, and held their plaque together for the pictures. Hallie was sure her cheeks would hurt the following day having smiled so much.

The following week, Hallie and Gerry were sitting one Saturday in the living room. Hallie was working her way through Jane Eyre while Gerry read the paper. Then the doorbell rang. Hallie glanced up at her brother. "JJ coming over today?"

Gerry looked up from the paper and shook his head at her. "Go see who it is."

She rolled her eyes but got to her feet and went to answer the door. Surprisingly, it was a certain blond teammate of theirs. A smile spread across Hallie's lips. "Sunshine."

He grinned. "Hey."

"Hi, what are you doin' here?" she questioned, slightly confused though happy to see him. It wasn't totally abnormal for one of the guys to just show up at the Bertier house. Still, most of the time it was after school.

Sunshine cleared his throat. "Um, well, I was just wondering...if maybe you weren't busy...if maybe...you'd, uh, want to grab a bite to eat?"

Hallie nodded. "Sure, are we meeting the guys there?"

The blue-eyed boy rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "Um, no, I was thinking...it could just be, you and me?"

"Oh," Hallie gasped, her green eyes growing wide as a blush crawled up her neck and reddened her cheeks. "Just you and me? Like, uh, like a date?"

"I mean, that's what I was thinking. If, maybe, you wanted to?" Sunshine asked not looking her in the eye. It was strange to see the quarterback so shy.

Hallie's heart fluttered at his sweetness. "Give me one minute to grab my bag." A huge smile broke out on Sunshine's face as Hallie slipped back inside to grab her things. "Mama!" she called loud enough for her mother to hear from the laundry room. "I'm going out with Sunshine, I'll be back later."

"Alright, honey, be back before dinner. And tell Sunshine he can join us if he'd like," Mrs. Bertier called back.

"I will." With that, Hallie marched toward the door only to find her brother blocking her path. Gerry's arms were crossed over his chest and he wore a stern expression. "Is there a problem?"

"Are you goin' on a date with Sunshine?" Gerry demanded, his eyes fixed on her.

Hallie crossed her arms. "Yes, I am. And?"

"I don't like it."

She rolled her eyes. "You don't have to like it. But it's my choice and I like Sunshine."

"He kissed me, I don't think you're his type."

Hallie gave him a withering look. "He kissed you because you called him a fruitcake. Trust me, _you're_ not his type."

Gerry's eyes widened. "You two shared a room at camp and he's not-"

"Oh my God! Gerry, really! Nothin' happened," Hallie insisted. "Look, I like him…and I think he likes me so butt out of my business."

Her big brother stared at her for a several moments. "Fine, but if he's anythin' less than a gentleman..."

She chuckled as she kissed his cheek. "I know, you'll beat him to a pulp. And JJ will help. Don't worry. I'll be back later." Carefully, she side stepped her brother and opened the door to see Sunshine still waiting there. He grinned when he saw her, and she couldn't help but return it.

"Ready?" he asked, and she nodded, closing the door behind her. The blond offered her his hand and she gladly accepted it as he led her to his car, opening the door for her like a gentleman, causing her to giggle. He then hopped in the driver's seat and sped down the road.

They talked easily enough throughout the car ride. They discussed football plays and strategies, talked about their school work and classes, and cracked jokes all the way to one of the local diners. Though Sunshine never made a move the whole time, Hallie appreciated the fact that he had asked her out at all. She was content with that for now.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Soon the Regionals were upon them and Hallie swore she had never experienced a worse game in her life. There were more bad calls than when the Bears played the Eagles the previous season. The first-string center had lost count of the number of flags thrown at her for personal fouls against the defensive lineman in front of her, despite never pushing him back anywhere but in between his shoulders. She wasn't positive if it was because she was a girl or simply because she was the only girl on the team the referees were calling excessive fouls for. Either way it was downright frustrating.

"This is ridiculous," she grumbled to Sunshine as they exited the field to let the defense do their job. Even they were getting called for stupid things like excessive blocking, unnecessary roughness, and false starts, even when none of those occurred.

Boone was trying to get a referee's attention but was shut down every time. Sunshine put a hand on Hallie's shoulder. She could tell from his locked jaw he was just as frustrated. Both groaned as another flag was thrown for a hold on Julius, which didn't happen.

"Linus!" came the sudden shout from Coach Yoast. Hallie turned, startled, as said man walked onto the field with a set in his shoulders like he was on a mission. She racked her brain to try and remember Coach speaking up during any of their games this season. But she couldn't think of one. He'd mostly talk to players one on one or in small groups. And yet, here he was stomping toward the referee in the middle of the field whose name he'd called. To this day, neither Hallie nor any of the other Titans from that season could tell you what he said. But whatever the exchange entailed, it changed the entire course of the game. "Defense on me!"

Coach pulled back to the sideline as Doc signaled for a time-out. All the defensive boys huddled around Coach as the offense and other coaches strained to hear what he said.

"Okay, Petey, I don't want you driftin' to the strong side now," Coach began.

"Coach, they're callin' a holdin' penalty on me every time, I-" Petey defended himself but Coach cut him off.

"Did I ask for your excuses? You wanna act like a star you better give me a star effort. Do you hear me?" Apparently, that was too much for Petey. He slugged off his helmet and bolted from the huddle. Rev, Sunshine, and Hallie exchanged nervous looks. "Forget about him!" Coach continued before waving toward their previous defensive tackle. "Alan, you're in! Come on!" The blond boy looked beyond surprised and confused. He'd soon lose the starkness of his white uniform. "Alright, now, I don't want them to gain another yard…You blitz all night! If they cross the line of scrimmage, I'm gonna take every last one of you out! You make sure that they remember…forever…the night they played the Titans!"

Not only was the defense moved by this call to action, the rest of the team hollered in response as a second wind encouraged them all to leave everything they had on the field. And so, they did. In the next play, Gerry took down their receiver, Julius sacked the quarterback, and Gerry ran over to point accusingly at Coach Tabor. The Titans were calling them out. And making good on Coach's demand that their opponent not gain another yard.

With a clean getaway for the defense, Hallie and the offense took the field. Sunshine grabbed her hand as they left the huddle. "I'll make you a deal," he said. "If we win by twenty points, you have to give me a kiss."

Her jaw dropped at his audacity and confidence. They were currently tied 14-14, they'd have to score at least two touchdowns and two field goals. "You're awful confident for someone who's had three flags thrown on him this game," she replied crossing her arms. She and Sunshine had only gone on one or two 'dates' since the first. But he'd never indicated anything more than just hanging out.

He smirked. "And you've had six. You nervous that I'll pull it off?"

She shook her head. "I'm more nervous about what comes after."

His expression softened. "We've got ten seconds before we have to be at the line so I can't give you all the reasons I want to. But trust me, please. Just do that."

Hallie took a deep breath and searched his face for any uncertainty or mischief. She found none. "Alright. But you better make good on that twenty points." He just laughed.

Final score of the game: forty-four to fourteen. The Titan defense had obliterated all of Tabor's attempts to gain yardage and Sunshine, armed with a goal, had led the renewed offense to victory. Though Hallie was just as excited and joyful as the rest of the team, especially for the after party that awaited them back at T.C. Williams' High School, she couldn't help but feel a bit queasy about keeping her promise to Sunshine.

She rode the bus next to Alan and let him blather on about the plays he'd participated in and tackles and safeties he'd managed to wrestle to the ground. It was a welcome distraction. But all too soon they arrived back at the school. People flooded around the bus as it pulled in. Some of the boys were hanging out the window to high-five members of the crowd.

Hallie quickly lost sight of Sunshine as he followed after Petey. She knew the latter would be in a bad mood after what had gone down at the game, but she admired Sunshine's effort to try and help. Most of her evening was spent with Rev and Louis, Molly found them shortly after. Molly, who had been unable to attend the game, was given a fairly detailed play-by-play which Hallie was sure the other girl didn't follow very well. But she smiled all the same, especially at Louis.

A little while later, Gerry appeared. "Hey, you wanna get outta here? Have an adventure, paint the town?"

Hallie grinned. "That does sound like fun. Would JJ be joinin' us?"

Gerry shook his head. "Nah, he's gonna hangout with his girl tonight."

"Oh, right, Veronica. She's nice." Hallie glanced around, looking for Gerry's own flame. "Has anythin' changed with Emma?"

This time the captain shrugged. "I dunno. I haven't really talked to her much lately."

"Maybe you should," said Hallie. "I know you really care about her. And I think she might feel the same way."

Gerry was quick to change the subject. "Maybe. Speakin' of, where's Sunshine?"

Hallie's mind immediately jumped to the bet they'd made on the field. Heat raced up her neck. She hoped it was dark enough so her brother wouldn't notice. "I dunno. I lost him in the crowd earlier."

She glanced over at Rev, Louis, Molly, and Alan huddled near one another, seeming to be having a good time. Just past them, over the crowd she spotted a familiar face. Sunshine. And he was heading in their direction.

"Tell you what," Hallie said, turning back to Gerry. "How's about tomorrow, you and me go into the city and walk the monuments? We haven't done that in a long time."

Gerry grinned at the suggestion. "Yeah, yeah, I'd like that. Maybe Julius can tag along."

"A day in the city with my brothers. What could go wrong?" They both laughed.

Sunshine was closer now. Gerry noticed this. "So, you gonna stick around here for a while then?"

Hallie's heart was picking up speed. "Yeah, just a bit longer."

Gerry pressed a kiss to her head. "See ya, Hal."

"See you, Ger." As Gerry disappeared into the crowd, Hallie made her way back over to her friends. Sunshine joined their circle a few moments later. They continued to talk shop about State coming up, classes, plans for Christmas break.

After a while the noise and crowd began to grate on Hallie. And the glances that Sunshine was sneaking at her, she suddenly felt a need to get away. She excused herself and made her way away from the party, toward the grassy area beside the school.

The Titan center sat down beneath a tree and breathed in the evening air. It was growing crisp as autumn had settled in and winter was speedily on its way. She couldn't wait for the rain and snow to fall. After a few minutes, she noticed a figure heading toward her in the dark. Hallie tensed until she noticed the familiar blond hair.

"Couldn't stand the crowd anymore?" asked Sunshine. His hands were shoved in his pockets.

"Just needed a bit of a break," she answered. "I'll head back in a few minutes."

"Mind if I join you?" She gestured to the empty space beside her, which he quickly occupied.

They were both silent for several minutes. Scattered stars were peaking between the clouds and the breeze gently rustled the grass. After some time, Hallie broke the silence. "I still can't believe we're goin' to State."

Sunshine turned his head to her. "You doubted us?"

"You didn't see how bad we started out," Hallie defended. Those first few days at camp seemed like a lifetime ago. "I wasn't sure we could actually come together to even try and get this far."

Sunshine nodded. "It is pretty exciting. Don't know what we'll do when the season's over."

Hallie thought about it. "Some of the guys will probably play other seasonal sports. We'll probably do some occasional practices and trainin'. I just hope we'll all still hangout." She chuckled. "My life would be pretty borin' without all y'all."

"I think we will," Sunshine assured her.

They fell silent again. Though Hallie hadn't relaxed since spotting Sunshine walking toward her, she realized that whatever happened in this moment could lead to something great. And she wanted to trust one of her closet friends with her heart.

"So," Sunshine drew out the 'o'. His body tensing beside her. "We did manage to win by more than twenty points."

She bit her lip to try and tried to hide her smile. Unsuccessfully. "And you're expectin' me to pay up?"

He started leaning in. "Kinda." She rolled her eyes before cupping the back of his neck and meeting his lips with her own.

His eyes were still closed when she pulled away. Once he did open his eyes, he stared at her for several moments. She giggled. "Cat got your tongue?"

Sunshine smirked. "Definitely not a cat." She blushed and lightly smacked his arm. "Hal?" Their faces were still close, drinking in each other.

"Hmm?"

"Will you be my girl?"

She pretended to consider it for a moment. "Only if you'll be my guy."

He grinned. "Deal." The quarterback leaned in and kissed the center. Eventually they broke apart, Hallie laying her head on his shoulder, and watched the night sky in contented silence.

"Hallie! Hallie! Sunshine!" Both teens looked around for the owner of the familiar voice. A few moments later, Alan appeared, out of breath. "It's Gerry!"


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The blonde center for the Titans didn't remember getting into Alan's truck. She didn't remember the achingly slow drive there or Sunshine's secure arm around her. She didn't remember how Alan's hands shook as he tried to keep his grip on the wheel. She didn't remember parking or getting out of the truck. The first thing she remembered was shoving away both boys and running for the nurse's station, demanding to know where her brother was.

Surgery, they said. And repeated for the next couple of hours as more of the players showed up, along with Coach, Boone, and Doc. Her mother arrived, escorted by Emma and Molly, and the two Bertier women held each other as tightly as possible as the rest of the team waited on them. And they all waited on the doctors. It was too quiet, but no one dared shatter it.

A little while later, Julius finally arrived. Hallie flew up from her seat and launched herself into his arms. Tears were running down both of their cheeks. Boone came over and put his hands on both of their arms. "How you doin', son?"

Julius looked at Boone, a million questions in his eyes. "Is he alright? Is he doin' alright? How's he doing?" Hallie bit her lip as Boone glanced at her before answering Julius' question.

"Not too good. Not too good."

"How bad is it?" Julius demanded as fresh sobs built up in Hallie's chest. She knew the reply that was coming. She'd heard it from the doctor's mouth but hearing it again from Boone felt like a fresh knife between her ribs.

"He's paralyzed from the waist down."

Julius yanked his arm out of Boone's grip, moving closer to Hallie. His voice was wispy, holding back more tears. "Don't say that to me, man." Hallie buried her head in his shoulder, and he wrapped one arm around her.

A moment later, he released Hallie and walked toward Mrs. Bertier. "Mrs. Bertier, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Mrs. Bertier met him halfway. "He doesn't want to see anybody but you, Julius."

"Yes ma'am."

Mrs. Bertier gently grasped Julius' arms. "You be strong. Those tears aren't goin' to make my boy walk again."

With that Julius headed back through the doors with a nurse escorting him. Sunshine was at Hallie's side in an instant, silently wrapping an arm around her and leading her to sit back down. Rev gently rubbed her knee and Louis brought her some water. As awful as she felt, Hallie had never been more thankful for these boys. As much as she ached to see her brother, she knew she would soon enough.

Some time later, Julius reappeared and spoke quietly with Mrs. Bertier and the coaches. Hallie hardly even looked up from where her head lay in Rev's lap. But when Julius appeared crouching in front of her, she sat up.

"He wants to see you next, Princess."

Her eyes filled with tears again. Her voice croaked as she spoke. "I don't know if I can…I can't see him like that."

Julius put his hand over hers. "I ain't gonna lie to you, it ain't easy. But he needs us to be strong this time." She nodded and rose from her seat. The hallway was pretty much empty and smelled strongly of antiseptic. Hallie eventually found the right room with Gerry's name on the whiteboard.

"Hey, lil sister…" Gerry said as she entered. He was laying on his back, a blanket covering his legs. His face and neck were bruised and red. Her heart thudded painfully.

"Hey, big brother." She crossed the room and slid into the chair beside the bed. Gerry immediately grabbed her hand. She rubbed her free hand over the scratches on his knuckles. They were both silent for a moment.

"How's Mama?"

Hallie swallowed. "A wreak but Coach and Boone are takin' good care of her."

Gerry eyed her, his eyes soft. "And how are you?"

She wasn't sure whether to laugh or hit him. Neither were a good option. "Are you seriously askin' that? You're hurt, Gerry! Of course I'm not alright and you're not alright…" She stopped as her grip on her tears broke. "I should've been with you. You asked and I wanted to stay. I should've gone. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

He gripped her hand tighter. "Shh, it's alright. I'm glad you and Julius weren't there or there'd be three beds full in here. I ain't mad, Hal. Not at you or anybody, at least. A bit mad at myself for thinkin' I was invincible. Guess I'm not."

Hallie sniffed. "You'll always be Superman to me." It was quiet between them again. "I…I just I can't…I can't lose you, alright? Not like Dad." Gerry gripped her hand tighter. More silence.

"Are all the guys in the waitin' room?"

She nodded. "Pretty much. But you probably ain't up for a lotta company, huh?"

"Nah," he replied. "But I think…I think I would like to see Mama though…if you and Julius come too."

"Alright, I'll go sort that out and be back in a few." Hallie stood and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.

"I ain't goin' anywhere," he called after her. She turned back and smiled.

Practices were rough the next week or so leading up to the State Championships. They were still good, and certainly fueled to win this for Gerry, but their joy was lacking. Hallie and many of the others went to see Gerry as often as possible. She did her homework as the nurses and doctors did their rounds and check-ups. Julius was there almost as often. Hallie had a suspicion he slept there sometimes. One afternoon, after practice, a few of them had gathered in Gerry's hospital room to hangout and talk shop. Hallie sat in one of the chairs, Sunshine standing watch over her.

"Alright, Hal, I gotta know, are you and Sunshine a real thing now?" Gerry smirked as the two teens shifted uncomfortably. "You can't hide nothin' from me, Hal. I saw you two holdin' hands out in the hall before y'all came in."

"Well, it's about damn time," Petey hollered.

Hallie half-heartedly glared at him before glancing up at Sunshine. "We didn't wanna say nothin' till the season was over."

Julius raised a hand. "I got a question." He paused for dramatic effect. "Are you and Superman gonna compare notes on how well Sunshine kisses?" All the boards roared with laughter as both Bertiers turned brick red.

Sunshine grinned at the outside linebacker. "Jealous, Julius?" Hallie snorted.

Julius just waved him off. "Nah, man, I already got a girl."

Sunshine put his arm around Hallie. "Yeah, and so do I." He pressed a kiss to Hallie's hair. She smiled, only faintly pink. Some of the boys awed while others let out kissy noises.

"Alright, can we stop talkin' 'bout my love life now?" Hallie demanded and the conversation turned back to the upcoming game.

"Hey Coach!" they all greeted when Coach and Cheryl showed up.

The little blonde girl immediately went over to Gerry's side and handed him a miniature football player. "This for me?" Gerry asked with a small smile. "I want you to be my eyes out there, alright? Any of these guys slack off, you just let me know."

Cheryl gave him a watery smile in return. "You bet I will." As Coach took the seat nearest Gerry, Cheryl turned and crawled into Hallie's lap. The elder girl held the smaller to her firmly.

"How you doin', Gerry?" Yoast asked the former Captain.

"I'm alright, Coach," he responded. "Was just talkin' to these guys about Marshal- "

Coach interrupted him. "You know what? We don't need to talk about football right now, Gerry. I think this is a good time for reflection, and for prayer."

"Coach?" Gerry interrupted this time, pinning Coach with a no-nonsense look. "I'm hurt. I ain't dead." Hallie cracked a smile. He was still her brother.

Coach couldn't help by smile either. "No, you're not."

"You know I've been, uh, readin' up on the activities they got for people in wheelchairs and such." Hallie eyed the magazines by her brother's bedside table. She glanced around the room, wondering which of them had brought those. "They got Olympics."

Later that week, Hallie went for a drive to clear her head. State was looming over them and practices had been draining, especially knowing Gerry wasn't among them. In some ways, the Titan center had felt a bit suffocated by the barrage of people coming and going from her house. She appreciated it, no question. Still, she needed room to breathe.

After about a half hour of rolling along without aim, she found herself in a familiar neighborhood. An idea sparked and she parked her car down the street from her childhood house. Pulling her coat tighter around her, she trekked through the old forest. Most of the leaves were on the ground, crunching under her feet as she went.

After a few moments, she stopped and took a deep breath of the autumn air. Her mind drifted back to simpler times. When race didn't matter. When the future didn't matter. Faded mirages of her childhood self and Julius ran by, giggling at their game of catching frogs in the summer heat. They'd named this place Rosewood, even though there were no roses to be found. Only bluebells and dogwood flowers.

"I'm sorry 'bout your daddy, Hal," young Julius had said when she'd told him of the folded American flag displayed in their living room.

Young Hallie had shrugged. "I was real little when he died. I don't remember much." Julius had responded. He'd just put a hand on her shoulder.

The Titan player smiled a little at the memory. She sat in the leaves a little while longer before returning home. Mrs. Bertier and Julius were waiting for her.

The night before State, Rev, Louis, and Molly came over to the Bertier house to hangout. As they were finishing up the dinner Hallie and Mrs. Bertier had fixed, Louis suddenly stood up. He held up his glass of water as if toasting.

"I apologize, but I can't wait any longer to tell y'all," said the blond boy. "I wanted to thank all three of you for all the help you've given me this year. And I want all y'all to know that it paid off." Hallie's breath caught. "I got my grades today and…I'm eligible." All three gasped, standing as well. Molly was the first to launch herself at Louis, hugging him tightly. They both went pink. Rev high fived his friend, pulling him into a one-arm hug. Hallie hugged Louis and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"We are so proud of you," Rev said.

"Thanks y'all," Louis said, tears beginning to fall. "I can't wait to tell Boone."

"He's gonna proud of you too," Molly replied. They spent the remainder of the night celebrating Louis going to college. And for a moment, Hallie forgot about her brother's life changing crash and the looming game the next day. Right now was just for friends.

The night of the Title Championship came like a thief in the night. The locker room was nearly dead silent, but the tension buzzed in the air around the team as they got ready. Hallie held her jersey in her hands for several minutes, thinking this may ever be the last time she suited up to play with these boys. She'd miss this feeling for sure.

Just then, Boone and the other coaches entered the locker room, grabbing the team's attention. "Alright y'all, now I know there's a lotta mixed emotions tonight. And I think it's important we remember to put our Lord first, before ourselves. So, I'd like all of us to take a knee. I'm gonna lead us in word of prayer.

The team shuffled toward the center of the room, huddling as close as was possible in the full gear. Everyone kneeled to the floor as Boone began his prayer.

"Our Father, who are in heaven…hallowed be your name and this field we tread on today. We pray for your kingdom to come and that our bodies may glorify your kingdom tonight. Thank you for our daily bread and our families. Thank you for the opportunity and strength to play here tonight. Lord, we pray your will be done on this field…and, more importantly, in our hearts. And lead us not into the temptation of hatred, or pride, or self-righteousness. But deliver us in honor, trust, and kindness to our neighbors and our opponents. For this is your moment, your appointed time. Please help us to live it well. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

"Amen," the team echoed before rising to their feet. Hallie squeezed Louis' arm as she followed the team out. He was going to tell Boone the good news of his eligibility.

They were all lined up, about to take the field when, suddenly, people began clapping. Hallie's brows furrowed in confusion. They hadn't even taken the field yet.

"Princess," called Julius from the front. "It's your mama. They're cheerin' for her." Hallie's hand flew to her mouth as tears welled up behind her eyes. Rev put his arm around her as she tried not to cry at the kind gesture of the crowd.

Hallie took a deep breath and eyed the ball in Devin's hands. Of course, she, of all people, had to kick off the most important game of the season. But something inside of her knew she wasn't just playing for herself anymore. She wasn't playing to prove she was good enough. She was playing for something a lot bigger. She was playing for her brothers, all forty of them on the team, especially the one currently in the hospital. And before God, they were going to win this for him.

The opposing offense lined up on the thirty-yard line against their Titan defense. But something they weren't prepared for was a switching of positions just before the snap of the ball. A shotgun.

Hallie happened to be standing near Coach Yoast when this happened. "A shotgun, who do they think they are, the New York Jets?" They'd never seen something like that, let alone knew how to defend against it. Hallie watched the boys scramble to reposition on the field. "Cover deep," Coach called but it was too late. The other team was gaining a lot of yardage.

Boone walked down the line past Coach, muttering to the offensive coach. "Put some pressure on that QB, they got all day to throw, Coach."

"You just worry about your offense," Coach replied, not even meeting Boone's gaze. Hallie looked nervously between the two men. If they couldn't lead them as a united front, they didn't stand a chance in this game. Boone was right though. A few plays later, their opponent managed to throw deep to a receiver and score a touchdown and the subsequent field goal for the extra point.

With a sigh, Sunshine led Hallie and the others onto the field. Hallie tensed with her hand on the ball. "Ready! Red fifty-seven…red fifty-seven…Hut!" As soon as the ball left her hand, she grasped at the lineman in front of her. Damn, he's strong, she thought as she struggled to keep him back. He pushed her back a couple of feet. She growled and pushed back. However, somehow, he slipped through her grip and ran the other direction. The realization of why crashed down her as she watched her assignment tackle Sunshine. He'd only managed to gain them six yards.

The next play, Sunshine threw deep, but their receiver had about three guards on him, so the ball was nearly intercepted. Hallie could already feel herself draining. Not only were these defenders strong, they were light on their feet.

Each play wound up being much the same. They'd move a few yards maybe but getting a first down was seldom for the entire first half of the game. Hallie followed the others back to the locker room at halftime, frustratedly twirling her helmet in her hands. After all they'd been through, it couldn't end here. Not like this.

Boone gathered them all up. Hallie stood over Louis shoulder, resting an arm on his shoulder pad. "All right," began Boone. "We're in a fight. Y'all are doin' all that you can do. Anybody can see that…Win or lose…we're gonna walk outta this stadium with our heads held high…Do your best, that's all anybody could ask of you."

"No, it ain't, Coach," Julius spoke up. "With all due respect, uh, you demanded more of us. You demanded perfection…now, I ain't sayin' that I'm perfect, 'cause I'm not. And I ain't ever gonna be neither. None of us are…But we have won every single game we have played till now…So this team is perfect…We stepped out on the field that way tonight. And if it's all the same to you, Coach Boone, that's how we wanna leave it."

"Yeah," came the agreement of Coach Yoast. "I hope you boys have learned as much from me this year as I have learned from you. You taught this city how to trust the soul of a man rather than the look of 'im. I guess it's about time I join the club." Hallie smiled and Sunshine's hand slipped into her own. "Herman, I sure could use your help on defense. Ed Henry's kickin' my ass out there." Boone grinned.

"Follow me, all y'all," Boone ordered, and they followed him without hesitation back to the sideline. "Listen up! This is our time now. This second half is our time. We're gonna make some changes on defense, they're spreadin' us out too far. We're gonna put Sunshine, Alan, Glasgow, Davis, you're gonna play both ways the rest of the game. I don't want a receiver to get across that line of scrimmage. Coach Yoast will tell you where you're plain', alright? If any of them get too tired or injured, Hallie and Patrick, you're on deck. Let's go! This is our time! Titans on three. One, two, three!"

"Titans!"

Hallie turned to Sunshine once their huddle was broken. "Be careful out there."

He gripped her hand tightly. "You too." He kissed the side of her head before putting on his helmet and running onto the field.

Hallie took her spot between Louis and Rev. Alan suddenly appeared at her side. Rev gave him a confused look that matched the ones on Louis and Hallie's faces. "Why ain't you on the field?"

Alan shrugged. "Gave my spot to Petey." The three of them grinned and Hallie pressed a kiss to Alan's cheek.

"You're a good man, Alan Bosley," she told him. The poor boy pinked before returning his attention to the game. Alan definitely made the right call because Petey destroyed the tight end on the next play.

The defense sure stepped up their game tackling and sacking every which direction on every play their opponent tried to put past them. Hallie's heart soared when she watched Sunshine intercept a long pass before running it back some ten yards or so.

Alan turned to Hallie. "You sure know how to pick 'em, Princess." She just grinned before sliding her helmet on and running onto the field.

They managed to move the ball within field goal range, but the defense was able to hold them from getting a first down. So, Hallie set up for a field goal attempt. Her stomach knotted as she eyed the thirty-five yards between her and the goal posts. She'd been able to complete some in practice, but it had never come up in a game, not this far back.

Hallie glanced over to the side-line, making eye contact with Coach. Her whole body was shaking, and her ears began to ring. Coach made a T with his hands, signaling a timeout. He and Boone shared a short conversation as the whistle blew. Coach came running toward her. She relaxed out of her ready position.

"You alright, Hallie?" Coach asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

The crowd was murmuring. "Not really, Coach. I'm 50-50 with thirty-fivers in practice. But here…with the title on the line…and Gerry bein' in the hospital…maybe we should get Thomas out here. I…I don't think I can."

Coach gently squeezed her shoulder. "I want you to take a second and look around this field." She did as she was directed and observed her teammates, their opponents, the crowd. "Look at your teammates, your coaches, your friends and family. We're all right here with you, believin' in you. Now," she looked back to him, "I know we didn't start out that way, me most of all. But you have proved us all wrong. You deserve to be here, sweetheart, just as much as anyone else. Do you believe that?"

She nodded slowly. "I think so. I just don't wanna fail them."

"No game is all down to one player or one play. You just do your best, and trust me, you won't be failin' anybody."

Hallie desperately she wished she could hug Coach but that would probably have to come later. After they'd won the title. "Thanks, Coach."

He smiled at her. "Go on. We got a game to win."

She grinned in return. "Yes, sir."

Once Coach was safely back on the sideline, the referee blew the whistle. Hallie sprinted toward Devin and the ball he set up. Her mind flashed to Gerry in the hospital as her foot connected with the ball. It soared in a beautiful arc, through the uprights a bit to the right. As the referees blew their whistles with their hands parallel in the air, Hallie sank to her knees as the Titan's roared.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The fourth quarter began, and tensions seemed to raise even higher. On opposite sides of the field, Henry and Boone were pacing and yelling like the sun wasn't gonna rise. Even Coach had more energy than Hallie had ever seen. Both sides failed to move the ball enough to even try for a touchdown and time dwindled below the two-minute warning.

Marshal had possession at the minute and thirty-second mark when Julius tackled the receiver and said receiver lost control of the ball. Petey, without hesitation, picked up the ball and took off. He was tackled within ten yards, but he managed to hold onto the ball despite having three linebackers on top of him.

Boone called a time out as the clock hit thirty seconds. Hallie shared a look with Louis; they were so close, but did they have enough time? "Rev!" Boone suddenly called. The two nearest to the previously injured QB looked just as confused as he was.

Both Louis and Hallie followed Rev over to Boone. "Yes, sir."

"Alright, listen. You ready to run?" Boone demanded as he waved Sunshine over as well.

"Yes, sir."

"Fake twenty-three blast…with a backside George reverse. You got that?" All four teens nodded. "Fake twenty-three blast with a backside George reverse like your life depends upon it. Lastik, Bertier, cover their backsides. Let's go!"

"Yes, sir!" All four agreed before heading onto the field with the rest of the offense.

Hallie settled herself down in front of Sunshine, her shaking fingers on the ball. "See you on the other side," she called to the boy behind her. She didn't have to look to know she'd made him smile. At the snap, she launched full board into the lineman opposite her, knocking him to the ground. She then sped off behind where Sunshine passed back to Rev. She and Louis ran about ten yards behind and Rev held the ball and Sunshine knocked over every defender coming after them. Louis managed to shove away another two defenders but before they knew it, Rev had crossed the line into the endzone.

Mighty cheers rose up from the crowd, the sidelines, and the players on the field. Hallie launched herself at Rev, hugging him as tightly as she could before both of them were swallowed up by Louis' arms. After a few moments of not being able to breathe, Louis released them. Hallie barely had a moment to breathe before she was suddenly swept up into Julius' arms. She gripped her brother tightly as he swung her around. Finally, he put her down to go jump on Petey.

Hallie took off her helmet and promptly lost it somewhere in the growing mob, but she didn't care. She made eye contact with Sunshine and waited patiently as he wove between their teammates and other people who had joined the celebration on the field.

"You know somethin', Sunshine?" she asked when he reached her and gripped her hips.

"What's that?"

"You may be from California, but you've got some soul power, right here." She gently jabbed his pad-covered chest.

"Is that right?" He grinned as she nodded. "Would you like to know something, Hal?"

"Mm?"

He was smirking now, only a couple of inches from her face. "It turns out girls can play football." She snorted before closing the distance between them.

About two weeks after the Championship game, the entire team, coaches, and families were invited to a celebration dinner at T.C. Williams. Being a more formal affair, Hallie opted to let her more girly side out for the evening. She wore a floor length, pale pink dress with a sheer overlay. Mrs. Bertier even helped with her hair.

Gerry was finally out of the hospital, though restricted to a wheelchair. The boys and coaches had helped install a ramp up the steps into the first floor of the Bertier house. Mrs. Bertier and Julius helped him into a nice suit so he could attend the festivities as well.

Hallie came down the stairs and caught sight of Gerry and Julius adjusting each other's ties. She giggled causing them to look up. They both grinned at her. Gerry whistled long and low. Julius came over and kissed her cheek before offering his arm for the last two stairs. "You look real nice, Princess."

"Thank you," she replied before kissing Gerry's head. It was strange to her that she could now reach it. "You both clean up real nice too." They both played with their sleeves and collars.

Mrs. Bertier entered the room and stopped to admire them. "Well, after all the mud and sweat, I almost forgot I had three good-looking kids." The three teens just laughed.

"Come on, y'all. Let's celebrate," Gerry suggested. They all piled into the car, folding Gerry's chair into the trunk, and Julius drove to the high school. Other teammates and their families were already arriving and making their way into the gym.

Julius helped Mrs. Bertier out of the front seat before helping Gerry into his chair. Inside the gym, soft music was playing as folks mingled around large round tables. Louis spotted the new arrivals from a few feet away and led Molly and Louis over to them.

Molly hugged Hallie tightly. She looked beautiful in her navy dress that ended just below her knees. As soon as she released Hallie, the redhead took Louis' hand again. Hallie eyed their joined hands with a small smile. She then turned to kiss Louis' cheek and embrace Rev firmly.

"You look beautiful, Hal," Rev said.

She smiled. "Thanks, Rev. You look real handsome. Better be careful or else someone's sister is gonna snatch you up."

The quarterback laughed. "Nah, I think I'm gonna wait till college to look for the special lady God's got for me."

"Good on you, Rev," Gerry said. "Wish my sister would do the same."

She lightly slapped Gerry's arm before he shook hands with the guys. "Get over yourself, Ger." He just smirked.

Someone suddenly poked Hallie's sides. She jumped and let out a shriek as she whirled around to find Petey, Blue, and Thomas bent over laughing. "You boys outta know better than to scare me like that."

Petey eyed her up and down. "Damn, Princess, you really like a princess tonight."

Blue started chuckling. "Yeah, where's your tiara at?"

"You promised you'd give it back after your beauty pageants, remember Blue?" she quipped earning a few laughs.

"Yeah, Blue if you want any tips for not coming in second for the next pageant, you should talk to my little sister," a familiar voice said as an arm appeared around Hallie's shoulder.

She looked up to find Sunshine with a wide smile. He tilted his head to meet her gaze. "Hi," she said softly.

"Hey," he replied, pressing a kiss to her temple. "You look gorgeous." Her heart squeezed a bit.

"Y'all are gonna make me throw up and we ain't even eaten yet!" Petey cried, shielding his eyes.

"Come on, y'all, let's get some grub," Blue suggested and they formed a line for the buffet.

Hallie sat with her mom and two brothers, Sunshine and his parents, and Julius' father. Alan, Louis, and Rev sat just to their left with their families. And Blue, Petey, Thomas, and Devin were at the table on their right. The Titan's center had just started eating when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

It was Cheryl. Hallie gasped. "You're wearin' a dress!" The younger blonde crossed her arms.

"Daddy said I have to."

Hallie ran a hand through Cheryl's curls. "Well, I think you look very pretty." Cheryl wrinkled her nose before rounding to Gerry to ask how he was feeling. Hallie spotted Coach with Boone and his family and Doc and his wife at the table in front of them. The food was delicious, and the company was wonderful. Sunshine held Hallie's hand under the table.

As the meal drew to a close, Boone got up on the stage and stood at the podium. The gentle murmur of the crowd settled down. "Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for attendin' tonight's celebration. When we began the season at camp, all those months ago, I had a dream that this team would make it here tonight…But this dream was not achieved by my own power or will. But by the dedication, hard work, and passion of everyone in this room…. I could not be prouder of the way y'all have not only played this year, but of what you have taught myself and the other coaches. You have shown us the strength of unity. You have shown us the power of love and respect across races. And, above all, you have shown the depth of the soul. And I think we've all had a little fun as well."

"Here, here!" cheered Blue, eliciting a few chuckles.

"And now, I'd like to invite Coach Yoast to join me onstage to present the Most Valuable Player Award." The audience applauded as Coach ruffled Cheryl's hair before heading up to the podium.

"Thank you, Herman," Coach clapped Boone on the shoulder. "It is my honor to present this award tonight. There is no question in my mind that each and every one of you Titans is worthy of this award. But seein' as we probably couldn't make a rotatin' schedule work, we'll stick with just one for now." Everyone laughed lightly. "This season, this player was an undisputed leader, an indomitable hard-worker, and a true, true friend to the entire team. I've had the privilege of watchin' this player grow up into a strong and carin' person. And I know we have all felt the effect of his friendship. Many more true and wonderful things could be said about this man, but I'll save y'all the anticipation. This year's most valuable player goes, unquestionably, to Mr. Gerry Bertier."

The entire room burst into applause as Gerry sat stunned. Both coaches carried the plaque off the stage and presented it to Gerry before shaking his hand. Hallie could tell Gerry was trying not to cry as one by one the whole room stood. Both Hallie and Mrs. Bertier were already crying. Gerry told Hallie and Julius, a few years later, that moment was one of the best of his life.


	13. Chapter 13

Epilogue

Hallie Bertier opted to not play for the Titans the following season, despite the protests of her brothers, boyfriend, and coaches. She patiently explained to them that she was content having achieved that dream but wanted to focus on making other dreams come true, namely going to college. Still, she spent much of her spare time on the field and at practice, supporting her boys. Gerry and Julius were at every game as well and the three sat together cheering on their friends. Thomas, Blue, and Alan would often join them.

Sunshine made first string quarterback since Rev also opted not to play in favor of preparing for college and spending more time volunteering at his church. Occasionally, Boone would throw Sunshine onto defense. Just before a Hail Mary pass, he would point to Hallie in the crowd before calling the play. He had to switch to doing so when it was the veer play about halfway through the season because the opposing teams were picking up on it, much to Hallie, Gerry, and Julius' amusement.

Hallie and Rev received many calls from Louis while he was in Tennessee at Austin Peay State University. He easily made the football team there and was loving it. Blue was working for the Alexandria school system. And Alan was going to the community college to get a degree in auto mechanics. Thomas was getting ready to head off to basic training in the new year.

After graduation, Hallie and Sunshine moved down to South Carolina to attend the University of South Carolina. He made starting quarterback with ease, but also pursued a degree in television production. Hallie, meanwhile, took Rev's longtime advice and earned a degree in counseling. Shortly after graduating from USC, the couple returned to Alexandria to have their wedding among friends and family, with a few friends flying in from South Carolina. Louis and Molly were flying in from Tennessee. Though they had separated shortly after Louis left for college, Molly had flown out there after two years and they had rekindled their relationship. Molly, Cheryl, and Sarah were bridesmaids. And the entire team was there with their families.

Gerry and Julius walked Hallie down the aisle. A year after Hallie left for college, her brothers got a house together. However, that would probably change soon since Julius disclosed to Hallie his plan to propose to Veronica soon. And God knows, Emma's patience with waiting for Gerry's proposal was wearing thin. Hallie gave him a bit of grace since Gerry had spent the last five years training for the Paralympics. He'd qualified for Shot-Put in the '76 games in Toronto. Coach had helped train and guide him the whole way, it was a bit easier now that he was retired. Julius, Hallie, Mrs. Bertier, Boone, Emma, and Sunshine all went to Toronto to see him compete. Unsurprisingly, he won the gold medal.

Hallie couldn't have asked for a more beautiful late summer day for their wedding. And Rev performing the ceremony made it all the more personal. And her boys never passed up an opportunity to dance and have a good time. They even threw football shaped balls of rice at their getaway car.

Two years later, Hallie and Sunshine welcomed their first child, William Louis Bass, named for their Coach and friend.

But in the fall of '81, Hallie stood in her kitchen, fixing dinner while looking over some case notes and keeping an ear and eye on Will in the other room. The toddler would get into anything he could. Suddenly, the phone rang. She turned the stove down to low and went to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Princess." It was Julius but something in his voice sounded off. Instantly, Hallie had a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"JJ, what's wrong?"

There was a long pause. "…There's been an accident. Gerry, he, uh, went down to the store and this…drunk driver didn't see him crossin' the street…" Hallie's legs began to buckle at Julius' words.

Sunshine arrived home about twenty minutes later to find his wife sitting at the kitchen table, holding Will, dinner unfinished on the now off stove. He knelt in front of her after seeing her red and puffy eyes. "Hal, what's going on?"

She sniffed and squeezed his hand that was on her knee. "Gerry's gone."

For the first time, Hallie was annoyed with her pregnancy. At over seven months along, they wouldn't let her fly. So, the Bass family had to drive the nearly nine hours from Greenville, SC to Alexandria, VA. Sunshine was patient with her and Will, as the latter had never been in the car this long.

They stayed at the Bertier house, which had long been empty save for Mrs. Bertier. She was glad to have her daughter and family under her roof. She especially loved having Will in her arms. The Bertier house was seldom empty over the days leading up to the funeral. The former Titans team and many community members milled through with love and service. Hallie and Julius hardly left each other's sight. All too soon, the fateful day arrived.

Hallie stood in her old room, as it had hardly changed. She fiddled with her black dress, anxiety rolling through her nerves. Sunshine appeared behind her, pinning her arms and resting his hands over her swollen middle. She took a deep breath and relaxed into him. He pressed a kiss to her hair. "Will is with other kids. Veronica and Nikki are staying with them." Hallie nodded and followed Sunshine downstairs.

The actual ceremony of the funeral was open to the public and well attended. There were whispers going around the community that the gym at T.C. Williams would be renamed for Gerry. Hallie lost count of the number of mourners offering her, Julius, and Mrs. Bertier their condolences. But the graveside was for the Titans only. The leaves of the trees in the cemetery were shaded orange and red as the once whole team surrounded the casket. Julius stood holding Mrs. Bertier's arm while Sunshine had his arm around his wife. Louis and Rev stood just behind her. Petey and Blue were on Sunshine's other side. Alan stood on the other side of them. Boone and Coach were on Mrs. Bertier's other side. The rest of the team that was able to make it filled in behind them.

Cheryl Yoast, all grown up and beautiful, walked over to the casket and laid down a red rose before returning to her father's side. Beside Hallie, Julius began humming. "Hey hey, goodbye." She was taken back to the bus ride home from camp. Blue leading the same song and Gerry's smile as he got into it.

"Na Na Na Na…Na Na Na Na…. Hey Hey, Goodbye," everyone joined in to complete the song with Julius. One by one, every former Titan hugged or kissed the foreheads of the Bertier ladies before passing in front of the casket. Hallie stood, silently crying, staring at the casket in front of her. Once all the Titans had made their procession, she stepped away from her husband and brother to stand beside the box that held her brother's body. Placing a kiss to her fingers, she pressed her fingers to the sleek wood before returning to Sunshine's arms.

A few weeks later, Hallie and Sunshine had their second son. Another boy they named George Gerry Bass after the Superman of the Titans.


End file.
